1 active Westland Tai Poutini alert
- CautionActive landslide zones on Copland TrackDo not stop in either of Copland Track’s signposted active landslide zones; take extra care during and after heavy rain.Official details
Overview
About Lake Wombat
Why stop
- Quiet forest walk with a peaceful lakeshore and birdwatching.
Heads up
- The small lake can feel like a modest payoff for the steady climb.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Westland Tai Poutini map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide
Your drive to Lake Wombat, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Westland Tai Poutini National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Westland Tai Poutini audio tourRecorded for this place
Alex Knob or Lake Wombat0:00 / 0:26
“You're approaching the trailhead for Alex Knob and Lake Wombat. Alex Knob is a steep, rough eight-hour return hike for a view down over Franz Josef Glacier.”
Plays as you drive up to Lake Wombat in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Canavans Knob: Two Views from a Granite Hill
- St James Church: the Peace Stamp View
- Terrace Walk: Glowworms Among Fallen Trees
- Franz Josef Glacier Valley: Sentinel Rock
- 49 audio storiesacross Westland Tai Poutini’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Blue Duck, Kererū, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 31 trails, 53 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Lake Wombat
A quiet walk to a small lakeLake Wombat is a small kettle lake in the forest near Franz Josef, reached by a steady climb…
Lake Wombat is a small kettle lake in the forest near Franz Josef, reached by a steady climb through rimu and fern. It suits a peaceful woodland outing more than a dramatic viewpoint: the water is modest, so some visitors find the lake a slight payoff for the walk. A bench at the shore gives you somewhere to pause, and stopping quietly along the track can reward you with birds.
Fit it into your walkThe Lake Wombat Walk is 3.8 km return on the same track and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.
The Lake Wombat Walk is 3.8 km return on the same track and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. It climbs steadily and is rated easy to intermediate. From Franz Josef/Waiau, cross the Waiho River bridge southbound, turn left onto Glacier Access Road (Te Ara a Waiau), then continue about 2 km to the signed start on the right. Dogs are not allowed.
A hollow left by iceAbout 9,000 years ago, a large block of ice lay among glacial debris here.
About 9,000 years ago, a large block of ice lay among glacial debris here. When it melted, it left a kettle lake. The small basin is a visible reminder of the ice that once occupied this landscape.
The name Wombat JackThe lake takes its name from Jack Irwin, known as Wombat Jack, who sluiced for gold in the area…
The lake takes its name from Jack Irwin, known as Wombat Jack, who sluiced for gold in the area in the 1800s.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Westland Tai Poutini
89 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
10 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
80 sightingsKererūMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
38 sightingsTūīMost seen around 5 AMSighting map
10 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
28 sightingsYellow-crowned ParakeetMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Westland Tai Poutini. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
