Three islands, three completely different reasons to visit.

Lake Wānaka isn't just open water — it's dotted with islands, and each one has its own personality entirely. Mou Waho, Ruby Island, and Stevensons Island are worth knowing before you ever step off the boat, because they couldn't be more different from each other if they tried.

A small lake, on an island, in a lake. Say that out loud and it still sounds made up.

Mou Waho

Mou Waho is the big one — the largest and most dramatic island on the lake, hauling itself steeply out of the water to a summit with views that stop conversations. And at the very top sits Arethusa Pool: a small lake, on an island, in a lake. Say that out loud and it still sounds made up. It's a genuine geographic oddity and one of the best short walks going in the entire region. Mou Waho is also predator-free, home to a small population of translocated weka who act like they own the place — which, at this point, they basically do.

Ruby Island

Ruby Island sits right on Wānaka's doorstep — small, low, forested, and easy enough to walk right around in a few minutes flat. It's the ideal quick stop: land, stretch your legs, get a look at the lake from water level instead of over the bow, and be back in the boat before you've properly finished the thought. Its size and closeness make it perfect for shorter tours, or for anyone who wants a taste of island life without signing up for a proper hike.

Stevensons Island

Stevensons Island sits further out and sees a lot fewer visitors than either Mou Waho or Ruby Island, and that's exactly its appeal. It's got a genuine sense of being properly away from everything — water in every direction, mountains stacked up on the horizon, and the quiet feeling that not many people have stood exactly where you're standing. Like the other two, it owes its existence to the same glaciers: harder ground the ice simply couldn't be bothered moving through, left standing once the meltwater filled in around it.

Seeing Them for Yourself

Each island earns its place for a different reason — Mou Waho for the climb and the view, Ruby Island for the easy, close-by stop, Stevensons Island for the quiet and the distance from anything. There's exactly one way to see any of them properly, and that's by boat, because none of them are reachable any other way. Whether it's a half-day tour or a full day taking in all three, the islands are reason enough on their own to get out on Lake Wānaka — fishing rod or not.

Ready to see them yourself? The full-day lake tour is the only trip that takes in all three islands in a single day.