Lowburn Inlet · Lake Dunstan · Central Otago

Ride the glass.
Thaw by fire.

E-foil sessions on Lake Dunstan's flat morning water, and a wood-fired lakeside sauna with a cold plunge that's open all year. Under an hour from Queenstown and Wānaka. First season opens November 2026.

Why Lake Dunstan

Before the afternoon thermals wake up, the lake goes still — a sheet of glass under the Pisa Range. It's shallower and warmer than Wakatipu or Wānaka, which makes it the best beginner water in Central Otago. That's when we fly. And when the frost comes, we light the stove.

01 — The cold half · Nov–Apr

E-foil sessions

Seventy-five minutes of guided flight on an electric hydrofoil. No waves, no wake, no experience needed — most riders are up and flying above the water inside their first session.

$220 per rider

Reserve a first-season spot

02 — The hot half · All year

Sauna & cold plunge

A wood-fired cedar sauna parked on the lake's edge. Sweat at 90°, walk twenty steps, and plunge into Lake Dunstan. Best on a −2° frost morning when the mist is still sitting on the water.

$140 per hour, private, up to 6

Get opening dates

The signature

Fire & Ice

Fly the glass at eight, plunge and sweat at nine-thirty. One morning, both temperatures. The session everyone will ask you about.

$320 per person · foil + sauna

How a morning runs

A morning at the inlet

  1. Night before

    The call

    We watch the forecast so you don't have to. You get a text confirming the window — or a free rebook if the lake says no.

  2. 08:00

    Meet at Lowburn

    Five minutes north of Cromwell. Wetsuit on, safety briefing, board on the water. The stove gets lit now.

  3. 08:20

    Flight time

    Knees, then feet, then flying. Your instructor is beside you the whole session with radio comms in your helmet.

  4. 09:30

    Fire & plunge

    The sauna's at temperature as you come off the water. Sweat, plunge, repeat. Then coffee in Cromwell, ten minutes away.

Indicative first-season pricing

Pricing

SessionLengthPrice
E-foil sessionOne rider, guided one-on-one 75 min $220
E-foil two-upTwo riders alternating, one instructor 2 hrs $340
Private sauna & plungeUp to six people, towels included 60 min $140
Frost-morning plunge clubShared winter session, per person 45 min $45
Fire & IceE-foil session + sauna, per person Half morning $320
Gift vouchersAny session, valid 12 months From $45

Indicative pricing for the 2026/27 pilot season — final rates confirmed when bookings open.

Weather, handled

We only run when the lake is right

E-foiling wants glass; saunas want frost. Our booking system watches the wind and reschedules around it — if conditions fail, you rebook or get refunded in one tap. No arguments, no fine print.

Locals: the glass alert list is how you grab short-notice sessions when a perfect window opens up.

Join the launch list

First access to opening weekend, founders' pricing, and glass alerts when the lake turns to mirror.

You're on the list — see you on the glass.

Find us

Lowburn Inlet, Cromwell

We launch from the flat water at Lowburn, five minutes north of Cromwell on State Highway 6. If you're riding the Lake Dunstan Trail, you'll pass our door.

  • Cromwell town 5 min
  • Clyde & Alexandra 25 min
  • Wānaka 40 min
  • Queenstown 50 min

Season

Two temperatures, four seasons

E-foil runs November to April on calm mornings. The sauna never closes — summer sunrise sessions, autumn after the trail, and the frosty midwinter mornings it was built for.

Questions

Good to know

I've never foiled, surfed or skied. Will I actually fly?

Almost certainly. The e-foil is self-propelled, the water is flat, and you progress from lying to kneeling to standing at your own pace. Most first-timers are flying above the water within the session.

What happens if the weather turns?

We call it before you drive. If the lake isn't right, you choose an instant rebook or a full refund. Sauna sessions run in almost anything — rain on the roof is part of it.

How cold is the plunge?

Lake Dunstan sits around 18–20° in late summer and drops to single digits in winter. You're in charge of how long you stay in. The sauna is twenty steps away at 90°.

Can I hire an e-foil without an instructor?

Not in our first season — every session is guided. It keeps beginners safe, the gear in one piece, and the sessions genuinely good.

Is this safe and, you know… legal?

Yes — that's the boring work we're doing now. Guided e-foil sessions operate under New Zealand's adventure activities regime, and we're completing WorkSafe registration and Maritime NZ requirements ahead of opening.