Hidden NZ

A scenic track around a mirrored lake

This stunner of a track is around 2 hours to complete, it basically wraps around Moke Lake with little boardwalk sections over swamp lands. It creeps up the island looking hill in the middle of the lake for some outstanding views. You can also take a longer walk and go down the trail to Lake Dispute. Camping here is around $13 a night and the DOC look after the place really well. Bathrooms, cleaning facilities etc.

Directions

Only a good 15 minutes out of Queenstown you end up in the most beautiful campground the lakes district has to offer. Just head out of Queenstown on the Glenorchy road and take the turn off to Moke Lake, pretty easy to see. Then drive up the hill, the road will turn to gravel and then goes for another 8 km. Not great in the rain or winter, so avoid those times. Just keep driving till you enter the camp ground area, basically where the road ends.

Helpful links

By Stu Hardisty 19.9.18

Don't sleep on snow

Darkness had set in, and the cold was falling fast, flowing into the valleys from high in the snowy mountain tops. It was only 9 pm and I hadn't thought about a place to sleep for the night yet. A quick search on Google led me to Moke Lake Campground. $13 a night and the promise of outstanding views, how could I turn that down. As I started driving out of Queenstown, I saw someone wondering along with a camping bag and took the guess he too wanted a spot to pitch a tent. I pulled over, he jumped in, and we drove into the mountains. It was incredibly dark when we arrived at the campground, not another soul around, and plenty of snow still on the ground.

After setting up camp and having a few good yarns, it was midnight and time to rest. I remember waking up around 4 am, and got out into the -6 degree ice world. Tryed my best to get some pictures of the stars, but my heart wasn't in it. My neighbor happened to get up as well and complained about the cold, was saying that sleeping on snow was a bad idea. Figures I guess. Anyway he couldn't sleep from how cold it was and decided to take a walk. It was around 6.30 am when I woke again and he had just made it back. He said it was beautiful out, so I grabbed my camera, balaclava, gloves, jacket, anything else that would keep me warm, and trekked off around the lake.

Thinking the whole time I would see some of the evidence of miners past, nothing was there, not one stone foundation anywhere to be seen. A few Poplar tree's, which is usually a sign of old huts and such, but nothing. The sun did finally make it up over the mountains and I got some really nice pictures. But the solitude and complete silence of the mountains was enough on it's own to brave the cold.

Jotting this spot down for summer - Stu