Challenge Wānaka organisers are advising residents and visitors to plan ahead, with significant road closures and traffic delays confirmed around the 2026 Gallagher Insurance Challenge Wānaka Festival of Triathlon in February.

Events run from February 19-21, with the festival hub based at Pembroke Park.​

Ardmore Street alongside Pembroke Park will be closed from 3pm Wednesday February 18 through to 8pm Saturday February 21, with traffic detoured via Brownston Street.

Sections of McDougall Street and Wānaka-Mt Aspiring Road will also be closed at various times from Wednesday to Friday that same week for youth events, with detours in place via Brownston Street, Meadowstone Drive and Old Station Avenue.​

On Friday February 20, Wānaka-Mt Aspiring Road from the Sargood Drive roundabout to just past Whare Kea Lodge will be under a hard closure from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, with no vehicle access at all between 1pm and 2pm. 

The most extensive closure will be on Saturday February 21, when Wānaka-Mt Aspiring Road from McDougall Street to Treble Cone will be closed from 5am to 1.30pm for the Challenge Wānaka Half, with access limited to residents and businesses holding a special pass.​

Additional Saturday impacts include one-way or closed sections on McDougall Street, Dungarvon Street, Lakeside Road and Beacon Point Road, and delays of up to 30 minutes around the Sargood Drive and Old Station Road roundabout during the peak bike leg. 

Residents needing essential access on Wānaka-Mt Aspiring Road during Saturday’s closure are asked to email [email protected] in advance to arrange a special access pass.​

Full closure details and maps can be found here.

IMAGE: Challenge Wānaka