Lake Hawea Stone Cottage

Welcome to our home in the wonderful Lake Hawea. A stone cottage with a modern twist, it has everything you need to enjoy our stunning area in comfort and style. Just five-minutes walk from the waters edge, one-minute drive to the local shops and fifteen-minutes drive to busy little Wānaka, it boasts the best of both worlds for your holiday. The space The Hawea Stone Cottage is a warm, welcoming and comfortable space with a complete modern kitchen, lounge and stylish bathroom. Make your way up the spiral staircase to the master bedroom, where you'll find a super king bed, desk and lots of room to relax. The second bed is a pull out sofa in the lounge space. It's set up as a single, but can also be pulled out to a Queen. There's extra storage in the lounge cupboards for clothes and bags. Guest access Guests have their own carpark, private entrance and sheltered patio. Other things to note About the wonderful Lake Hawea Lake Hawea is a cosy little town, which means most things are in walking distance. By the Hawea Store you’ll find tennis courts, a playground, lawn bowls, library and a community hall. The lake is around five minutes’ walk from our home. Simply head down Moraine Place and turn right onto Lake View Terrace. Walk for around one minute and you’ll see a small sign saying ‘lake entrance’ on the left side of the road (just before the top of the small hill). Follow the path down between the houses and you’ll pop out on the lake trail which takes you down to the water. Here you’ll find picnic tables, a BBQ, a safe swimming spot and maybe some paragliders practicing on a windy day! Places to eat and drink in Lake Hawea: The Hawea Store This little gem has nearly everything. It’s a grocery store with the basics, an alcohol shop, post office, ice cream store (serving decent scoops) and a takeaway with delicious pizza, burgers, fish and chips. Grab your dinner and eat it down at the lake or the restaurant above has a pretty good view too. Freshchoice Supermarket For bigger shops, this supermarket has everything you'll need. The Hawea Hotel and Pub The Hotel has a great restaurant serving hearty southern meals while the pub is perfect for a pint, game of pool or watching the rugby. Over summer, they often have concerts in the outdoor area too. The Camp The Hawea campground is a beautiful spot to spend the afternoon under the trees, with a sheltered swimming spot on a windy day. Onsite is a food truck serving up delicious meals and a playground for the little ones. The surrounding area – Wanaka, Luggate and Tarras Around fifteen-minutes from Lake Hawea is Wanaka, but head in the other direction and you’ll find Luggate and Tarras. Luggate has a great local pub and Tarras has a fabric and antique store, a local clothing designer and homeware store. Drive towards the West Coast and you’ll find Makarora. Here you'll find Wonderland, Makarora Country Kitchen, the stunning Blue Pools and endless hikes. Places to eat in Wanaka: There are two New Worlds in Wanaka. The Four Square (70 Ardmore Street) was Wanaka’s first supermarket – what they lack in size they make up for in character and local hospitality! The Big Fig and Federal Deli are perfect for a healthy, hearty packed lunch to take down to the lake or on an adventure. The Doughbin is Wanaka’s bakery, serving award-winning pies and tasty treats. The best burgers (other than Hawea Store, of course) are at Red Star. The best pizza is from Francesca’s, which you can either eat at their superb restaurant or more casual outdoor food truck. Otago isn’t known for its Mexican, but Amigos and Paloma serve some pretty good tacos. Best vegetarian tacos we’ve had! For a swanky night out, Kika, Sofi or Arc have delicious menus and excellent service, while Fudog offers delicious Asian fusion. Vineyards and wineries Rippon has an interesting bio-dynamic selection of wines, but the best part of their vineyard is the spectacular view. They also host concerts and exhibitions in their stunning building. Maude, named after the mountain to the left before you drive into Lake Hawea, pours a delectable drop and they also have a wine vending machine in their restaurant which is a bit of a novelty! Maori Point is a little off the beaten track, between Lake Hawea and Tarras. They make a delicious rose and the owner is often on hand to tell you all about their process and selection. Brewery After trying the local brew of Speights, we recommend heading to Rhyme and Reason Brewery. They have an epic assortment of beers from session ales to something more interesting, live music and food trucks on most days. Distillery Cardrona Distillery is fast becoming a Wanaka Institution, being a local family business distilling delectable gin, vodka and liqueurs and whiskey. The friendly, knowledgeable staff do free tastings and guided tours. Hiking When it comes to hiking, you’re pretty spoilt for choice in Wanaka and Lake Hawea. There’s a range of walks for all abilities, each with its own stunning view. Around the lake: Follow the direction to the lake in the ‘walking distance from our home’ section. Turn left on the lake trail to walk to the Hawea shops or turn right to walk the 4.7km to Gladstone Park. You can walk further, but this gives you a pretty good stroll. This track is actually part of the Te Arora trail which takes you from the very top to the very bottom of New Zealand, so give an encouraging wave to any tired hikers you see! Breast Hill: At the 4.7km point, the track splits off and continues up Breast Hill which is a great day walk or overnighter if you don’t mind staying in a backcountry hut with a stunning view. Isthmus Peak – 16km return. One of our personal favourites, this hike is just 30 mins drive from Lake Hawea towards Makarora. A consistently steep incline takes you to a dual view of both Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, as well as the stunning surrounding mountain ranges. Sawyer Burn: Continue along the road from Isthmus Peak, take a right down Mead Road and drive around the lake to find a wonderful little campground and the beginning of the track. This trail has a few more trees than Breast Hill and Isthmus Peak, with spectacular views back over the lake. Mount Iron: Heading back into Wanaka, Mount Iron is a perfect stroll up hill to a great view of Wanaka and the surrounding area. For those who aren’t up to tackling the longer, steeper walks of Lake Hawea this is a good one to try. Roy’s Peak, Diamond Lakes, Fern Bern (with a great swimming hole) and Rob’s Roy Glacier are all outstanding hikes that are located on your way to Mount Aspiring National Park where you’ll find hikers heaven. Cycling The two cycle trails from our home are around our wonderful lake or along the Hawea River Trail which will take you through stunning trees and farmland, before turning left to Luggate or right to Wanaka. If you’re into mountain biking or would like a fun challenge, Dean’s Bank and Sticky Forest can be found on your way into Wanaka. Rainy days and family fun Paradiso is a great cinema, where you can choose the cookie you want before the film and pick it up freshly cooked at the intermission. Yes, we have intermissions in Wanaka. There is also a rock-climbing centre, while Puzzling World on your way into Wanaka provides some great family fun and Cross Fire has clay bird shooting, archery and an assortment of other fun activities.