Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
'As many times a year as I can, I travel to a holiday hut up the Rees Valley, at the
top end of Lake Wakatipu. I love the lake, the majesty of the surrounding moun-
tains, the good weather in the basin, the walks, the rivers, the end-of-the-world
feeling and the laconic people who live nearby. Everyone who has visited me up
here is infected by the ready magic of the landscape and the sensation of worldly
troubles dissolving. Lake Sylvan is one of many good bush walks in the area - a
fairly short walk for this scale of landscape, but the intimacy of being inside the
bush immediately gives you a sense of delight. Recently the lake has been high and
is phenomenal to swim in.'
Activities
Almost all organised activities offer shuttles to and from Queenstown for a small sur-
charge. Other activities on offer include farm tours, fly-fishing, guided photography tours
and cookery classes; enquire at the Queenstown i-SITE (
Click here
)
.
Tramping
DOC's
Head of Lake Wakatipu
and
Wakatipu Walks
brochures (both $5) detail day
walks taking in the Routeburn Valley, Lake Sylvan, Dart River and Lake Rere. Two of
the best short tracks are the
Routeburn Nature Walk
(one hour), at the start of the Route-
burn Track, and the
Lake Sylvan tramp
(one hour 40 minutes).
Before setting out on any of the longer tramps, call into DOC in Queenstown (
Click
8.30am-4.30pm, to 6pm 9 Dec-16 Mar)
for the latest track conditions and to purchase de-
tailed maps. Another good resource is Lonely Planet's
Tramping in New Zealand
.
For track snacks or meals, stock up on groceries in Queenstown. Track transport is at a
premium during the summer Great Walks season (late October to March); try to book in
advance. Many of the local accommodation providers offer trailhead transport;
Click
here
for services from Queenstown.
