That Wānaka Tree in Lake Wanaka is the kind of thing you hate to love. It’s been largely overlooked for at least 90 years, having sprouted from a willow fence post. Then Dennis Radermacher took a photo of the tree in 2014 and won an award.
From there, it has progressed to being one of the most photographed trees in the world, with its own social media presence. Sadly, it was vandalised a few years ago, with a prominent lower branch partially hacked off, but fortunately, the tree is still going strong.
Finding the tree is easy. Walk west along the lake from Wānaka town centre until you see it (about 10 minutes and a section of Te Araroa). There is also a lakeside car park close to the tree, but you will need to do more than turn up to get that ideal shot.
Some of our top tips are getting up before sunrise, planning your angle to get the mountains in the background or poplars in autumn, and practising your long exposures to smooth out the water. Here are a few of our attempts over the last few years.
