The 8km loop walk around Lake Hayes provides mountain views galore. Photo / Getty Images
The 8km loop walk around Lake Hayes provides mountain views galore. Photo / Getty Images
Looking for the perfect walk with beautiful and peaceful scenery in Queenstown? Jacqui Gibson finds five of the best trails for when the weather is looking ‘iffy’.
With its scenic views and peaceful atmosphere, Queenstown serves as the perfect gateway for trampers going on popular multi-day walkssuch as the Milford Track and the Hollyford Track during spring and autumn. But it’s also flush with shorter trails where you can walk at a relaxed pace all year round, taking you along the region’s forested tracks, past fascinating history and glistening lakes.
Lake Hayes Walkway for epic views
Time: Two hours
Known as one of the most picturesque walks in Queenstown, Lake Hayes Walkway is an 8km loop trail, which circles Lake Hayes perimeter.
It’s dark outside when we turn into Marshall Avenue, a suburban road leading to a cluster of five rental cottages on the waterfront of Lake Hayes.
Before embarking on the walk, we stay at Hayes Cottage, a modern two-bedroom cabin with a kitchenette, fire and cosy lounge featuring a large window looking directly out to the lake.
It’s 2C outside when we embark on the first of five walks on our list, but we have checked the weather forecast and are prepared for a day that’s cold but sunny.
I’m kitted out in my usual gym gear, plus beanie, merino hiking jacket and scarf. We each have a day pack to carry water, a raincoat, mittens and an extra merino layer. We park the car in a picnic area and there’s frost underfoot as we head off.
The well-maintained and easy trail around Lake Hayes, plus the mountain views and reflections across the lake, make it perfect for families with children who are looking for a beautiful way to get some exercise and fill a few hours. The track is also accessible for dog walkers, joggers and cyclists.
The narrow dirt track climbs to 68m in parts then becomes a wide wooden boardwalk as it descends into wetlands at the lake’s southern end. We see few people, plenty of ducks and work up an appetite for breakfast that starts to gnaw on the five-minute drive into Arrowtown.
Charming Arrowtown is packed with stories from New Zealand's past. Photo / Getty Images
Arrowtown Heritage Walk for a glimpse into the Gold Rush era
Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
We head straight to Arrowtown cafe on Buckingham Street for breakfast before starting our second trail. I order a bowl of black rice and ginger porridge, served with poached rhubarb, crystallised ginger, coconut yoghurt, fresh and dehydrated kiwifruit and toasted coconut. It’s five-star delicious.
Two coffees later, it’s time to walk it all off.
Our 90-minute heritage walk starts on Buckingham St, outside a stand of 160-year-old European miners’ cottages.
Further on at Lakes District Museum and Gallery, we learn that Arrowtown is part of Tohu Whenua, a storytelling programme by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Ministry for Culture and Heritage and Department of Conservation (DOC).
The cottages, along with Arrowtown’s historic Chinese miners’ huts and the police hut on the river’s edge, are easy to search and read about online and provide a visual reminder of the region’s fascinating gold mining history.
Glenorchy Lagoon Walk for a nature buzz
Time: 1 to 2 hours (depends on whether you do the smaller or larger loop)
If you are looking for a trail to walk at a relaxed pace immersing yourself in nature, the Glenorchy Lagoon Walk provides the perfect opportunity to have a nice stroll while observing bird life and scenic views of mountain ranges.
From Arrowtown, it takes us an hour to drive to Glenorchy for the final walk of the day. We stopped at Queenie’s Dumplings on Mull Street for pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings. The winter sun casts long shadows on the flat lagoon trail. The cold air pricks our cheeks.
We walk briskly to stay warm in the late afternoon chill as cyclists glide past. The route is also perfect for families looking for trails that include easy strolls and relaxing picnic spots. The walking track takes less than an hour, despite a couple of stops to watch darting dragonflies and photograph Mount Pikirakatahi (Earnslaw) seemingly thrusting out of the landscape to pierce the sky.
Our double room looks out to Lake Wakatipu and the ranges beyond and comes with its own bathroom and hot water bottles, as well as a shared lounge, open fire and outdoor hot tub. After a soak in the spa, we joined owners Toni and John Glover in the restaurant for wild venison stew, garden veges and fruit crumble – hoping to tap into their knowledge of local walks.
From the retreat, it’s possible to walk to Routeburn Falls Hut, the first hut on the Routeburn Track, Toni explains. But instead of the eight-hour return hike we decide on the Kinloch Nature Walk, a one-hour portion of the Greenstone Caples Track.
It’s frigid on the trail, despite wearing all our gear, including mittens. A light, frosty rain falls as a hiker pauses briefly to share his plan to stay overnight at Greenstone Hut. It’s quiet in the beech forest; the kind of restorative silence you get only walking in wilderness far from anywhere on a cold winter’s day.
Moke Lake for sheep and snow
Time: 2 to 3 hours
It’s not exactly busy at Moke Lake, the location of our last walk of the weekend. But just a 15-minute drive from Queenstown, it is one of the more popular trails of the region. Driving the gravel road to Moke Lake car park, we see swathes of chocolate-coloured scree and snow spill down the valley on to frozen ponds.
For the next few hours, we hike past spiky tūmatakuru (matagouri) and clumps of tawny tussock smothered in snow. In the DoC brochure, the loop track is described as a 6km undulating lake walk. Today, it’s a portal to a magical frozen world.
