Parking
Start at Lakeside car park on Mount Robert Road. The route to Coldwater Hut is 8.2 km one way from here.
Overview
About Lakeside Track to Coldwater Hut
Why go
- The forested track ends at a hut and jetty right on Lake Rotoiti.
- A water-taxi pick-up can avoid retracing the full route.
Heads up
- Walking back to Lakeside car park doubles the distance to 16.4 km.
- Stream crossings can become deeper after rain.
A short side track leads to 40 m Whisky Falls if you want another stop. It isn’t included in the 8.2 km or in the mapped route. Take care around the falls, where rocks can be slippery.
Parkwolf’s verdictA worthwhile detourMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Nelson Lakes map
Full mapElevation618–723 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Nelson Lakes alerts
- ClosureRotoroa Route permanently closedThe Rotoroa Route is permanently closed along the eastern side of Lake Rotoroa between Rotoroa village and Sabine Hut.Official details
- CautionUnbridged stream between Sabine and D’Urville hutsThe bridge on the track between Sabine Hut and D’Urville Hut has been removed; trampers must cross an unbridged stream at GR E1571366 N5359831.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Nelson Lakes Tour Guide
Your drive to Lakeside Track to Coldwater Hut, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Nelson Lakes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Lakeside Track to Whisky Falls0:00 / 0:26
“You're approaching Lakeside Track, the walking access to Whisky Falls.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Nelson Lakes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Mount Robert: Views on Foot
- Buller Bridge and Anglers Walk
- West Bay, Lake Rotoiti
- Lodge Road and Black Hill Walk
- 26 audio storiesacross Nelson Lakes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor New Zealand Falcon, Weka, Kererū, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 57 trails, 47 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Lakeside Track to Coldwater Hut
A one-way hut walkThe Lakeside Track to Coldwater Hut is an 8.2 km (5.
The Lakeside Track to Coldwater Hut is an 8.2 km (5.1 mile) point-to-point walk from Lakeside car park on Mount Robert Road to Coldwater Hut on Lake Rotoiti’s western shore. Allow about 2½ hours to the hut. This is a good route if you’re staying at the hut or arranging a water-taxi pick-up. Walking the same track back makes it 16.4 km (10.2 miles), about five hours of walking before stops.
Forest down to the lakeFrom Mount Robert Road, the track drops through dense mānuka and kānuka before meeting the lake.
From Mount Robert Road, the track drops through dense mānuka and kānuka before meeting the lake. It then follows the western shoreline through forested coves to the hut. Expect small stream crossings; recent rain can deepen them, so this easy-looking lakeside walk can still leave you with wet feet.
Plan your night or returnColdwater is a standard 12-bunk hut with a jetty. Bring a sleeping bag, food and cooking gear.
Coldwater is a standard 12-bunk hut with a jetty. Bring a sleeping bag, food and cooking gear. A DOC hut ticket is required, and booking arrangements can change, so check the current instructions before you plan around a bunk. Water taxis can pick up at the hut’s jetty; arrange that before you set out if you aren’t walking back. Dogs aren’t allowed on this route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Nelson Lakes
20 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
39 sightingsWekaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsKererūMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
55 sightingsBlack SwanMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
23 sightingsParadise ShelduckMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
17 sightingsTūīMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Nelson Lakes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
