Twizel - South Island, New Zealand

Twizel is an idyllic town located nine kms south of Aoraki Mt Cook at the junction of two major highways SH8 and SH80. The town is set against a backdrop of fantastic alpine scenery.

Twizel Accommodation

Though the local population is very small, there has been a swathe of holiday homes cropping up to accommodate the growing tourist demand. Twizel today occupies a vantage position as a premier town in the Mackenzie region and as a great base for expeditions to the Mt Cook National Park, Lake Ohau and the Omarama gliding adventures.

Twizel Activities

In summer, Twizel is a hub of activity as tourists flock to Aoraki Mt Cook. There are boat races held in the lakes around Twizel and other interesting activities unique to this little town.

The Kaki/Black Stilt Visitor Hide is a wetland area 3 kms south of Twizel. This is a revolutionary program to prevent the world's rarest Kaki wading bird from extinction. A guided tour is the only way you can access this park. The money you pay for this tour goes towards the conservation efforts of the Kaki bird family.

The next stop is the High Country Salmon Farm south on SH8. You can feed salmon here and then buy a smoked salmon to feed yourself. In the last week of January, there is a popular salmon and wine festival.

Twizel offers its fair share of activities. Some of The Lord of the Rings battle scenes were shot at nearby Pelennor Fields. The LOTR tour is a great way to enjoy this. If you are a mountainbiking enthusiast, there are helibike operators who can drop you and your bike up into a location and let you pedal back down.

Some of the popular routes for a memorable helibiking experience are the Benmore Range, Descent Ridge and Pyramid. There is also an annual helibike challenge for the really serious enthusiasts.

Twizel has some breathtakingly inspiring walks. Some of the most beautiful walks are around Lakes Aviemore, Ohau and Tekapo. The DOC(Dept of Conservation) provides a helpful information leaflet on the walking trails. There are experienced mountain guides available to help you scale the neighbourng peaks. Basic, intermediate and advanced level mountaineering courses are also offered.

There are scenic flights to Aoraki Mt Cook operating from Twizel. You can book skiing trips to Mt Cook and Ohau from Twizel.

The accommodation in Twizel is pretty decent at reasonable rates. It is a 45 minute drive to Mt Cook making it a conveniently located base for exploration of the Mt Cook National Park. You are advised to book well in advance in summer during Christmas, New Year and Easter as Twizel sees a surge in holidaying locals from all over New Zealand.

There are limited eating and drinking choices in Twizel. There are a couple of decent cafes providing breakfast, lunch and dinner with good coffee and snacks. There is a pizza shop and a takeaway shop.

There are good bus services to Twizel from Mt Cook, Timaru and Oamaru and also buses running the Christchurch Queenstown route. The Visitor Centre on Mackenzie Drive is the point of disembarkment. There is a Market Place shopping centre across from the visitor centre. This has a small supermarket, a bank and restaurants.

LooknbookNZ can organise your Twizel accommodation and Twizel activities bookings and let you and your family/friends have a wonderful time exploring the beautiful Aoraki Mt Cook National Park and Twizel.