Hawea River Track
Name |
Hawea River Track |
Location |
Lake Hawea |
Co-ordinates |
1302702 5052613 |
Alternative co-ordinates |
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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 |
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Further information |
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.
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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. |