Is Wānaka Worth Visiting On A Rainy Day?

2 min read.

Short answer: yes. Honestly, it might be one of the best days you have here.

There's something about Wānaka in the rain that strips back the postcard version of the place and gives you something real. The mountains are moody. The lake is slate grey. The air smells like wet earth and pine. 

And if you know how to move through a day like this, you'll end it feeling like you've actually been somewhere. Here's how we'd do it.

Start with breakfast at Scroggin

If you haven't been to Scroggin, go. 

Scroggin was built around one idea: that the best meals happen in backcountry huts, squeezed in with friends after a long day outside. That's the energy you walk into on Ardmore Street — warm, unpretentious, made-from-scratch everything. Get the hash bene. Get a specialty coffee. And pick up one of the sea salt cookies on your way out. You'll want it later.

Get your body moving
(there's no such thing as bad weather)

Yes, it's raining. Yes, you're going anyway. You just need the right gear.

Wānaka's walking tracks hit different in the rain … fewer people, better light, more atmosphere. These are our three picks depending on how much you want to commit:

1) Mt Iron — right in town, about an hour return, totally doable in between showers. It's steep enough to get your heart rate up but short enough that the weather doesn't matter much. Views of the lake from the top are worth it.

2) Rob Roy Glacier — a proper half-day out in the Matukituki Valley. The walk takes you through beech forest, which means you're covered for a good chunk of it. Fair warning: the fords can run higher after rain, some cars won't make it, and whether you actually see the glacier depends entirely on cloud cover. But honestly, that's part of the deal. It's wild out there and that's the point.

3) Isthmus Peak — this one's a full day and it earns it. The climb is exposed and can be properly wet and windy up top, but the view from the ridge is the kind of thing you don't forget. Dress for it.

Sauna at The Sauna Wanaka, late afternoon

Here's the thing about a sauna after a rainy day in the mountains: your body is already primed for it. You've been cold and wet and moving for hours. 

We're right on the lakefront at The Outlet — 197 Outlet Road — and on a rainy afternoon the setting is something else. The mountains disappear into cloud. The lake goes flat and grey. You walk across the grass to get to us and by the time you step inside, the smell of the wood-fired heat is already doing something to your shoulders.

Our Guided Sessions run three rounds of 12–15 minutes, with a guide taking you through steam, breath-work, and music. Between rounds, you can dip in the lake — and yes, you absolutely should. The cold hits differently after the heat. You'll come out the other side feeling like a different person than the one who drove in this morning.

Sessions run at 80–90°C, last around 70 minutes, and cost $34 casual drop-in.

We're obviously biased,  but 700+ five-star Google reviews aren't.

And finally, head home.

Eat something warm. Sleep early. You’ll sleep well.