Lake Matheson / Te Ara Kairaumati Walk(edit)

Overview

Lake Matheson / Te Ara Kairaumati Walk is ~4.5km total from the parking lot and has only about 50m of elevation gain spread out evenly across the track. There are a few small sections of stairs as well as a very stable and wide pedestrian suspension bridge. The trail is well maintained and popular as you would expect for a shorter, flatter tail in this area.

The attraction of this trail is the "View of Views" which frames Aoraki Mount Cook and its reflection on the lake. The best times to catch the view are early and late daylight hours.

There is a side trail to Lake Gault that is being improved as of March 2020. It is currently extremely muddy and near impassible.

This is a moderate loop trail to View of Views in Westland Tai Poutini National Park.

This trail goes by Jetty Viewpoint and Reflection Island.

See DoC site for more information and current trail warnings.

There are NO DOGS - NO BIKES - NO DRONES allowed on this trail.

Getting Started

There is a good size larger paved parking lot with restrooms south of the restaurant and shops. Don't worry about trying to park at the restaurant because the trail starts from the larger parking lot.