And the dog came too... dog walks in New Zealand
  • Home
  • Introduction
  • Notes for Users
  • Alarums and Excursions!!
  • South Island
    • North-West >
      • Atua Stream Walk
      • Barnicoat
      • Ben Nevis
      • Botanical Hill
      • Boulder Bank
      • Brooklyn
      • Collingwood Beach
      • Collingwood Cemetery
      • Cotterell Road
      • Dellside
      • Dicker Road
      • Dominion Flats
      • Eves Valley Road
      • Faulkner Bush
      • Grampians
      • Great Taste Trail - Richmond
      • Great Taste Trail - Kohatu
      • Great Taste Trail - Wakefield
      • Hacket Valley
      • Hoddy Estuary Reserve
      • Hoddy Road
      • Kawatiri Rail Tunnel walk
      • Kina Beach
      • Maitai Valley
      • Mapua Headland
      • Marahau Beach
      • Marahau Forest
      • Mead Stream
      • Milnthorpe Forest
      • Motueka Inlet
      • Motueka Spit
      • Pakawau Beach
      • Paton's Rock
      • Paynes Ford Tramline Track
      • Pearse Valley
      • Pohara Beach
      • Rameka Creek
      • Red Hills
      • Ridgeview Road Walkway
      • Robson Reserve
      • Rough Island
      • Sharlands
      • Split Apple Rock
      • Stagecoach Road
      • St Arnaud Loop Walk
      • Tahunanui Beach
      • Tantragee
      • Tasman View Road
      • Teetotal
      • Two Rivers
      • Waimea Fish-Out Ponds
      • Waimea River Trail
      • Wairoa River Left Branch
      • Waiwhero Forest
      • Waiwhero Ridge
    • North-East >
      • Archer's Track
      • Blairich Reserve
      • Cullen Creek
      • Cullen Point
      • Davies Bay Track
      • Esson's Valley Tracks
      • Goulter River
      • Grovetown Lagoon
      • Half Moon Track
      • Kotuku Trail
      • Lake Chalice
      • Link Trail East
      • Link Trail West
      • Lower Wairau
      • Mount Baldy and Mount Royal
      • Mount Barrett Walkway
      • Mount Fell
      • Mount Fishtail
      • Mount Richmond
      • Mount Riley
      • Mount Robertson
      • Mount Stokes
      • Mount Takorika
      • Ngakuta Bay
      • Nydia Track
      • Opouri Bridle Track
      • Patutu Walk
      • Pelorus Track
      • Piwakawa Track
      • Rarangi
      • Sawcut Gorge
      • Snout Tracks
      • Taylor's Valley
      • Tirohanga
      • Wairau River
      • Wakamarina Track
    • West >
      • Alborns Track
      • Big Rimu Tree walk
      • Charming Creek
      • Chasm Creek
      • Coalbrookdale
      • Denniston Historic Walkway
      • Denniston Plateau
      • Gentle Annie Point walk
      • Goldsborough Tracks
      • Haast-Paringa Cattle Track
      • Kawatiri Beach Trail
      • Kawatiri River Trail
      • Kumara Community walks
      • Lake Hanlon
      • Larry's Creek
      • Mikonui River
      • Millerton Bathhouse Track
      • Moeraki Valley Track
      • Mokihinui Stopbank
      • Mount Adams
      • Mount Glasgow
      • Mount Haast Route
      • Murchison Tree Walks
      • Murray Creek
      • Old Ghost Road
      • Porika Road
      • Powerhouse and Lookout Walks
      • Progress Water Race
      • Ross Goldfield Walks
      • Skyline Walk
      • Stafford Bay Loop
      • Wanganui River
      • Whataroa Walks
      • Whitcombe Loop Tracks
      • Whitcombe Valley Track
      • Zig-Zag Track
    • Central-North >
      • Balmoral Lookout
      • Bottle Lake
      • Cheviot Hills Reserve
      • Childrens Bay Farm
      • Craigieburn Forest
      • Culverden Domain
      • Diamond Harbour
      • Ellangowan Scenic Reserve
      • Garden of Tane
      • Godley Head
      • Governors Bay
      • Halswell Quarry
      • Hanmer Forest Walks
      • H W Hart Arboretum
      • Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia
      • Kaikoura Trail
      • Kowai Bush Reserve
      • Kowai River
      • Lyttleton Coastal Walk
      • Lytteleton Hills
      • McCleans Forest
      • McHughs Forest Park
      • Mears Bush
      • Mount Grey
      • Mount Oxford
      • Mount Richardson
      • Mount Thomas
      • Newton Falls
      • Ngaio Point
      • Panama Rock
      • Pegasus Bay
      • Rakahuri River
      • Sign of the Bellbird
      • Sign of the Kiwi
      • St James Conservation Park
      • Tutakakahikura Scenic Reserve​
      • Victoria Park
      • West Melton Forest
      • Woodills North
      • Woodills South
    • Central-South >
      • Ahuriri East Branch
      • Ahuriri Valley Tracks
      • Ashburton River
      • Benmore Peninsula
      • Centennial Park
      • Cowan's Hill
      • Dingle Burn
      • Double Hill
      • Freehold Creek
      • Greta and Dorcy Tracks
      • Gunns Bush
      • Hook Bush
      • Huxley and Hopkins Valleys
      • Kelceys Bush
      • Knottingly Park
      • Lake Emma walk
      • Lake Emily Tracks
      • Lake Hood
      • Lake Ohau Track
      • Lake Opuha Walk
      • Lake Tekapo Lakeside Walk
      • Lake Tekapo Regional Park
      • Lake Wainono
      • Lower Opihi River Track
      • Macaulay River walk
      • Methven walkway
      • Mount Barrosa
      • Mount Sunday & Mount Potts
      • Opihi River Walkway
      • Orari River Mountain Bike Tracks
      • Pareora River
      • Pioneer Park
      • Potts River Walks
      • Quailburn Track
      • Saltwater Creek
      • Snowy Gorge
      • Talbot Forest
      • Temple Valley Tracks
      • Waihao River
      • Waihi River Walk
      • Waimate Creek walks
      • Waitohi Bush
    • South-East >
      • Alexandra Anniversary Walk
      • Arawata Bridle Track
      • Arrow Gorge Loop
      • Arrowtown Millennium Track
      • Bannockburn Sluicings
      • Bob's Cove and Twelve Mile Delta
      • Boundary Creek
      • Bull Creek
      • Bullendale Track
      • Butcher's Dam
      • Central Otago Rail Trail
      • Chrystals Beach
      • Clutha Riverside Track
      • Commissioner's Track
      • Conroy's Dam
      • Cromwell-Pisa Walkway
      • Crystal Battery
      • Deans Bank Track
      • Diamond Creek Track
      • Dunedin Walks
      • Earnscleugh Tailings
      • Flagstaff Hill
      • Frankton Arm Walkway
      • Gabriel's Gully
      • Gibbston River Trail
      • Gladstone Track
      • Glendhu Bay Track
      • Glenorchy Boardwalk
      • Grovers Hill
      • Hawea River Track
      • Huriawa Pa Walk
      • Kanuka Loop
      • Lake Alta Track
      • Lake Hayes Trail
      • Lakeside Walk
      • Leith Saddle
      • Long Beach
      • Mapoutahi
      • Mosgiel Floodbank
      • Mount Cargill
      • Mount Crichton Loop
      • Mount Iron Track
      • Munro's Gully
      • Naseby Forest
      • Nevis Valley Tracks
      • Newcastle Track
      • One MIle Creek
      • Oteake Conservation Park
      • Outram Glen
      • Quartz Reef
      • St Bathans
      • Trotters Gorge
    • South-West >
      • Blair Athol Walkway
      • Boyd Creek
      • Manapouri cycleway
      • McLean Falls
      • The Bluff
  • North Island
    • Auckland & Waiheke
    • Coromandel & North Waikato
    • Wellington
    • The North
    • Manawatu & Wairarapa
    • The East
    • Taranaki & Central
  • Useful Links
  • Progress Water Race
  • Rock and Pillar Conservation Park
  • New Page
  • New Page
  • New Page
  • New Page
  • New Page
  • New Page

Hawea River Track

An easy walk along a shared cycle- and walk-way following the Hawea River between Lake Hawea and the junction with the Clutha.

Back to Regional Map

Hawea River Track

Name
Hawea River Track
Location
Lake Hawea
Co-ordinates
1302702  5052613
Alternative co-ordinates
 
Configuration
Linear
Distance
14 km
Status
On-leash
Grade
Easy
Access
To start in the north, turn off SH6 into Lake Hawea township at southern end of Lake Hawea, then tuen immediately right onto Domain Road. Walks starts at junction with Cemetery Road. Alternatively start at the gravelly parking area on the north side of  the Clutha River bridge on SH6, in Albert Town. Walk heads north from here as gravel track.
Description
This is an easy riverside walk, on gravelly floodplain tracks, with various options for loops and diversions. In places, the hard surface and dusty terrain make it a bit of a slog, but there are some interesting sections, including the rapids as you approach Albert Town, which are much used for white-water kayaking, and the outlet sluice from Lake Hawea, which very sensibly, is not.
Connecting tracks
Clutha Riverside Track, Gladstone Track​, Newcastle Track
Further information
https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/otago/wanaka-outdoor-pursuits-brochure.pdf
Picture
Picture
When the chance arises, therefore, it’s good to take one of the grassy diversions and short-cuts off the main path to escape the unrelenting grit and cyclists.
The Lake Hawea walkway provides a 7 km (one-way) walk from the township of Lake Hawea south to the proximity of Wanaka, on the north side of the Clutha. With a bit of road-walking, from there it can be linked up with various other river walks, either eastwards along the Clutha, or westwards to the shore of Lake Wanaka.

All these walks have one thing in common; they follow the gravel terraces that are spread along the river valleys throughout this area. Like these other walks, the Lake Hawea walkway therefore provides relatively easy walking, with nothing more than occasional climb as the path weaves it way up from one terrace level to the next. Like the others, too, it is formed almost entirely of fine grit – the economy surface preferred by many local authorities in New Zealand who seem to believe that it’s ideal for cyclists and will probably do for pedestrians (not that their interests count very much). So the walkway is a cycle way as well, and one that is not very lightly shared. The cyclists are friendly, it’s true, in that most call out a happy greeting as they whizz by, but pedestrians are clearly the second class citizens and are the ones who should therefore yield. And anyone with a dog, of course, is only there as a special favour . . . When the chance arises, therefore, it’s good to take one of the grassy diversions and short-cuts off the main path to escape the unrelenting grit and cyclists. 

OK, grumbling apart, the walk has its merits. The best part without a doubt is the area at the head of Lake Hawea, where the spillway spills out. Here, there’s a grassy domain through which both the river and a water-race flow, and where there are few cyclists, which offers a pleasant area for a stroll. From there, southwards, the main track winds between willows and kanuka bush, and through the occasional copse of tall pines, within hearing distance of the river – though rarely on its banks. After about 5 km, you reach the road bridge on Camp Hill Road, where two weirs provide fun for surfers and kayakers, who in turn provide entertainment for weary walkers. Beyond the bridge, the track wanders on much as before, until it merges into a larger,gravel road that runs for another 1.5 km to finish just short of the Clutha. If you don’t want just to turn around and retrace your steps from there, you can join one of several formal or informal tracks across the gravel terraces to the Lake Hawea-Albert Town road near the bridge across the Clutha. From there, it’s a short step to Albert Town and the Outlet Track. 

If you've found this website helpful, you might also want to look at some of my novels and poetry. These, like my dog-walking, are drawn from a love of nature and the countryside. To learn more, click here.