Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon
Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon sits at 255 ft along the Southland & the Catlins byway, with land dropping 21 ft within 600 m of the viewpoint. Three peaks are visible from the overlook: Wairaki to the north-northeast at 1.1 mi (699 ft), Waiau to the north-northwest at 5.2 mi (1,224 ft), and Bellmount to the north at 6.0 mi (1,313 ft). Sunrise and sunset times shift across the year, from a 05:55 sunrise at the December solstice to an 08:32 sunrise at the June solstice, with sunsets ranging between 17:11 and 21:40 depending on season. The previous lookout on the route is Lookout, and the next is McCrackens Rest.
What you’re looking at
Named terrain around this overlook, nearest first. No view direction is recorded, so every bearing is listed.
- Wairaki699 ftnorth-northeast · 1.1 mi
- Waiau1,224 ftnorth-northwest · 5.2 mi
- Bellmount / Bell Mount1,313 ftnorth · 6.0 mi
Light
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:51 | 20:04 | 19:25 |
| June solstice | 08:32 | 17:11 | 16:21 |
| September equinox | 06:41 | 18:46 | 18:06 |
| December solstice | 05:55 | 21:40 | 20:54 |
Local time (Pacific/Auckland). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
Take the scenic way to Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.
How high is Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon?
Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon sits at about 255 feet (78 m).
What can you see from Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon?
From Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon: Wairaki (NNE, 1.1 mi); Waiau (NNW, 5.2 mi); Bellmount / Bell Mount (N, 6.0 mi).
What is the next lookout after Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon?
McCrackens Rest is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon.
Drive to Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon with Byway
Byway plans the scenic way there — real places along Southland & the Catlins, real weather, zero hallucinations — and hands the turns to the navigation you already use.
Byways with this lookout
Locals make it Verified.
Wairaki Oxbow Lagoon — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
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