Parking
From Franz Josef/Waiau, cross the Waiho River bridge, turn left onto Glacier Access Road/Te Ara a Waiau, and continue about 2 km to the signed walk start on the right. The start can be reached by car or on foot.
Overview
About Lake Wombat Walk
Why go
- Fern-lined rimu forest and a lake at the end
- A useful 90-minute walk near Franz Josef
Heads up
- A steady uphill outward leg, then the same route back
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Westland Tai Poutini map
Full mapElevation199–297 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide
Your drive to Lake Wombat Walk, 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 trailhead
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 this trailhead in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Franz Josef Glacier Valley: Sentinel Rock
- St James Church: the Peace Stamp View
- Terrace Walk: Glowworms Among Fallen Trees
- Canavans Knob: Two Views from a Granite Hill
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Lake Wombat Walk
Is this the right walk?Lake Wombat Walk is a 3.
Lake Wombat Walk is a 3.8 km return out-and-back from Glacier Access Road to a forested kettle lake. You climb through fern-lined rimu forest, reach the lake, then return the same way. Allow about 1 hour 30 minutes; it’s graded easy to intermediate. Choose it for a short forest walk with a quiet lake at the end. This is the standalone Lake Wombat route, separate from the longer Alex Knob climb nearby.
The climb and returnThe signed start is about 2 km along Glacier Access Road from Franz Josef/Waiau.
The signed start is about 2 km along Glacier Access Road from Franz Josef/Waiau. The track climbs steadily through the forest for roughly 1.9 km to the lake. Pause quietly along the way for birds; the walk is known for good bird-watching, though no particular species is guaranteed. The lake is the turnaround, so the return follows the same track.
How the lake formedLake Wombat is a kettle lake.
Lake Wombat is a kettle lake. A huge block of ice left in glacial debris melted about 9,000 years ago, leaving the basin that filled with water. The lake is a small, specific reminder of the glacial landscape around Franz Josef.
Who Wombat Jack wasThe lake takes its name from Jack Irwin, nicknamed Wombat Jack, who sluiced for gold in the…
The lake takes its name from Jack Irwin, nicknamed Wombat Jack, who sluiced for gold in the area during the 1800s. It’s a good little piece of local history to have in mind as you reach the water.
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.
