Aoraki/Mount Cook, the lakes and canals, the Alps 2 Ocean trail and some of the darkest skies in the world.
Twizel sits in the middle of the Mackenzie Basin, about 45 minutes by car from both Aoraki/Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo. A lot of what makes the area special starts right on the edge of town – and some of it starts at your chalet door.
Twizel is inside the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, where lighting is controlled to keep the night sky dark. On a clear night you do not need to go anywhere – step outside your chalet, give your eyes a few minutes, and the Milky Way is overhead.
For a guided look through a telescope, Stargaze Mackenzie runs sessions at Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel Stargazing meets just along Wairepo Road, and Alpha CruX runs private tours that come to you. Nights can be cold – take a warm jacket.
New Zealand’s highest mountain is about 50 minutes’ drive from Twizel. The best-known walk is the Hooker Valley Track: an easy 5 km each way from the White Horse Hill car park to Hooker Lake, crossing three swing bridges. Allow about an hour and a half each way.
In winter snow can close the road into the park and the track can be icy, so check the Department of Conservation page before you set out. To see the mountains from above, Red Cat biplane flights leave from Pukaki Airport at Twizel.
Lake Pukaki is the turquoise lake on the road to Aoraki/Mount Cook, coloured by fine glacial rock flour, with lookouts along its shore. The Mt Cook Alpine Salmon shop at the Lake Pukaki Visitor Centre is 10 km north of Twizel.
Lake Tekapo is about 45 minutes north – home to the Church of the Good Shepherd (no photography inside) and the Tekapo Springs hot pools.
Lake Ruataniwha is just 2 km from town. Its shallow water is popular for family swimming, and its rowing course hosts the Maadi Cup regatta.
The hydro canals that link Lakes Tekapo, Pukaki, Ohau and Ruataniwha are known for big trout. You need a Fish & Game freshwater licence, which you can buy online, and it is worth checking the current regulations for where and when you can fish.
No gear? High Country Salmon, 3 km south of town on State Highway 8, supplies everything for its Catch-A-Fish experience – no experience needed – and has a salmon shop and the floating Logans cafe.
The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail runs 315 km from Aoraki/Mount Cook Village to Oamaru, and it comes straight through Twizel. Most of it is graded easy, and it can be ridden in one to seven days.
Twizel makes a good base for day rides: one section heads from the town centre to Lake Ohau Lodge. Cycle Journeys hires bikes and runs shuttles from Twizel.
The Ben Ohau Golf Club is a 9-hole course on Mackenzie Drive, and visitors are welcome to play.
For something free, the 18-hole Twizel Greenbelt disc golf course winds through the town greenbelt, with parking on Wairepo Road – our own street.
In winter, Ohau Snow Fields is the closest ski area to Twizel. Lake Ohau Lodge is 42 km from town, and the ski area is a further 9.6 km up a good metal access road – about 45 minutes all up.
You do not need a car for a good walk. The Twizel Walkway is 9 km (about two and a half hours) from the Glen Lyon Road car park, the Pukaki Flats loop is 10 km, and a track circles Lake Ruataniwha. Mackenzie Tourism has the details.
Film fans may know the country around Twizel from The Lord of the Rings: the Battle of the Pelennor Fields was filmed on a private sheep station near town. It is private land and not open to visitors, but the wide golden tussock country is all around you.
Self-contained chalets at the entrance to Twizel – your base for the Mackenzie.
