Nau mai,
haere mai.
Welcome to Wānaka History

Stories
About & Support
The Wānaka History Logo - A stylized geometric icon in tan color featuring a globe with a location pin overlay.

Upper Clutha History
Society Incorporated

Lake Wānaka, 1946

Explore the rich history of Wānaka and the Upper Clutha

Wānaka History promotes stories of Wānaka and the surrounding areas in the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Wānaka History was established in 2024 by the Upper Clutha History Society, using photographs, maps, documents and oral history records from their archive.

About
Aerial view of Wānaka in 1975, with Lake Wānaka, surrounding hills, and a mix of residential and undeveloped land.

Wānaka, 1975 #2024.1506.14

Stories

Read stories relating to the historic development, individuals, and community of Wānaka and the Upper Clutha Region.

See all stories

Audio Stories

Listen to audio clips of memories and first-hand accounts of historical moments related to the Upper Clutha Region.

Audio Stories

Maps & Images

Wānaka History has access to a large collection of prints, negatives and digital scans of images and maps dating from the 1860s.

A section of a historical map showing lower Ardmore Street with marked property boundaries and labels, including names such as Hedditch, Wanaka Hotel Ltd., Elijah C. Hedditch, William Guthrie Stewart, and John M. Grath.
A colourised historical photograph of the Wanaka Hotel with labeled individuals standing outside and a wagon on the left, featuring a sign showing the hotel's name and the names of some people, taken between 1876 and 1877.
Old photograph of a small, old wooden building with a sign that reads 'R. McDougall & Son, General Storekeepers, Wholesale Retail.' The building has a corrugated metal roof, with a window on each side of the door, and a small fence to the right.
See our collection

Biographies

Read biographies of the individuals that helped shape Wānaka and the Upper Clutha Region.

See all biographies

Resources

A team of local volunteers give many hours of their time to assist with processing photographs, documents and records.

Publications
Images