Mount Aspiring Road is one of the best touring routes in the South Island, with exceptional scenery, especially when there’s snow on the mountains. The road is 51 km long from Wānaka to Raspberry Flat in Mount Aspiring National Park, takes about an hour and has fabulous views throughout the trip.
To get to Mt Aspiring Road, take the main road out of Wānaka around the west side of the lake, heading towards Treble Cone. The road is sealed until the Treble Cone access road, and then becomes a metal road until the entrance to the National Park. Take care – while most cars can do the job, the road is narrow in places with several shallow fords to cross.
The drive is the epitome of a South Island road trip and because most of the area is grasslands, the views are uninterrupted.. It starts with views of Lake Wānaka and access to Mount Roy. From there, the road takes you to gorgeous Glendu Bay and access to Motatapu. A little further on is the turn off to West Wānaka, then the walks at Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain before you enter the Matukituki Valley. The 2,000 metre Harris Mountains loom over the west side of he valley as you drive north, with the Buchanan Peaks and Mount Alta (2,339 metres) to the east. As you swing into the west Matuktuki, there is a stunning view of some of the glaciers south of 3.033 metres Mount Aspiring / Tititea.
Along the way, keep a lookout for Glendhu Bay, rock climbing before the Diamond Lake car park, and the two waterfalls coming off the side of Treble Cone. You can freedom camp for a night at the end of the road at Raspberry Flat and hike into Mount Aspiring National Park. Wishbone Falls is an easy short walk shortly before the road's end. Glacier Burn involves a crossing of the Matukituki River for the more adventurous, and Rob Roy Glacier from Raspberry Flat is one of the best day walks in the country.
Mt Aspiring Road starts from central Wānaka at the end of Ardmore Street and on the intersection with McDougall Street in front of the lake.
