Explore the most popular Nature Trips trails in Otago with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
With all the recent rain / flooding in NZ, this trail I’m afraid was impassable without higher water boots. Upon coming to the 3rd makeshift river the water was 5-6” high and I was unable to pass in my boots to continue going. The parts I did see were a beautiful trail, but with all the rain it was a quite dangerous trail. Only made it about 20 minutes past the end of the cascades before the larger flooded out area.
The views were unbelievably beautiful. I would recommend going early morning as it gets too hot during the day after mid morning. We went at about 7.45-8am and completed the hike by 12.30. The walk is difficult and I’d recommend taking plenty water and snacks. Totally worth the views at the top though!
Started this trail on 2 December. It rained everyday. First day was only a mile hike from the boat ride to the first hut. Day 2 - We passed knee high water and couldn’t finish our hike due to the flood. We went with Ultimate Hikes and they managed helicopter ride to get us to the next hut. We missed approximately 2 miles of hike. Day 3 - this was the hike to the Mckinnon pass. Wind gust @ 100 km/hr. The wind made this a very difficult hike. At the top, we got rain, hails and snow. With the rain came lots of temporary waterfalls which were amazingly beautiful. Day 4 - moderate 13.5 miles hike but watch out for the sandflies. I highly recommend this track but prepare to get soaked. Guided hike is also recommended, the accommodation made for the daily wet feet and the rest of your body!
The real beauty starts once you go a little past the hut! Long and windy moderate uphill at the beginning, then flat and easy until Flats hut. Then take a left for 1-1.5 hours up to falls hut. We stayed overnight here and walked up to the saddle in the morning. Beautiful view of the valley and surreal walk up to Lake Harris.
Such an awesome hike. We started at 6.30am and there were only 3 other people at the "instagram spot" by the time we got there. Definitely keep going past that point as it is only 30 minutes to the top and it actually isn't as hard as it looks. I would say the most difficult part of the whole thing was the first 30/40 minutes and after that it evened out for parts. We were up to the summit and back in 5 hours.
Wonderful walk along the lakeside then along Kawerau River
Nice trail, not too challenging. Didn’t spot any wildlife, but the dunes and the beach were pretty. There’s a box with trail information papers right before the pyramids, which highlighted some points of interest and the volcanic history of the area. I recommend climbing the pyramid (there’s a steep overgrown trail on the right before the pyramid) and visiting the cave on the back of the pyramid.
Nice and easy walk :)
Good quick strole, took about 1 hour 45 min is more about 8km long, enough steep sections to get a sweat up, about 372m of elevation. Track is clear and easy to walk 2 side by side, plenty to see, check out Sams hut and the mining race.
This was a great trail! It was challenging (we went clockwise on the track - were told that counterclockwise is easier as it is a less steep ascent) and fun, but it was also one of the prettiest tracks we’ve ever hiked! The wildflowers and nature, combined with the scenic views of the mountains, made the hike up well worth it. I do recommend wearing sturdy, waterproof footwear: recent rain made the creek a lot wider (and you have to cross that one a lot), and even flooded part of the path. My boyfriend didn’t wear appropriate footwear (tsk) and it turned into a true teambuilding activity trying to keep his feet dry. :)
Saskia P. on Sandfly Beach and Sandpoint Hill
I did not find the Wrg in the labyrinth of shrubs and dunes. dangerous and not recommended. I followed tracks that had also gotten lost. Not recommendable
Saskia P. on Sandfly Bay Trail
I did not find the way. There is no mark except one on the beach. I followed footprints, but these have got lost too. I was even scared in the labyrinth of bushes and dunes. not good!
A nice walk if you have a couple of hours to kill in Queenstown. Views from the gondola over the lake are well worth the walk.
Awesome trek into the woods, opening up to incredible views of Queenstown. Fairly easy, but some steep climbs.
Nice, short u ebener hiking trail. Looks better in winter!
this is a beautiful walk, and easy! I would recommend bug repellent as we did get a lot of midgies.
we are just two average joes with not great fitness! We found the track very steep, it’s literally 8km uphill.. although at times it seemed impossible that we were going to actually reach the top.. we did! The views were amazing, it took us 2.5 hours to get to the lookout spot and about 2 hours getting down! I do recommend it but it is hard
epic hike and totally worth it. we started at 3:30am for a 5:55 sunrise.. thank god we hiked in the dark because it was already super hot due to how steep it was. summited in about 2.5 hrs, keeping a moderate pace. after the summit there was no line at the Instagram spot around 6:30, despite that when we started the hike there were probably 15 other cars in the parking lot. we expected huge crowds but were pleasantly surprised. amazing views at the top made the 3:30am start completely worth it and there are tons of amazing spots for photos besides the IG spot. if you have a big motorhome make sure you back into a parking spot, we didnt do that and could barely get ours out at 9am when the lot was full.
