Lake Gault Track

Lake Gault Track is an 8 km (about 5 mile) out-and-back from Lake Matheson car park to a lookout overlooking Lake Gault, then back the same way. It shares the opening stretch with the anticlockwise Lake Matheson walk before a signed branch climbs through podocarp forest. Allow about three hours. The payoff is a sheltered lookout with views of the Southern Alps, Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, but the work comes first: most of the outward leg climbs steadily. DOC calls the track easy to intermediate, but repeated reports point to more effort than that label suggests: the climb is sustained and the return can be hard on knees. Do it for the lake and the forest, not as a quick photo stop.

Start at Lake Matheson car park and follow the Lake Matheson / Te Ara Kairaumati walk anticlockwise until the signed Lake Gault branch. The first stretch is shared with the Matheson walk, so keep going past its lake viewpoints. Once you turn, the route climbs toward Lake Gault; the out-and-back retraces that line. If you want the full Matheson circuit as well, treat it as an extra walk; it makes for a longer outing than Lake Gault’s listed return distance.

The track gains about 200 m through original podocarp forest, with several small stream crossings. It is a long, mostly uphill push rather than a steep scramble, and the rough gravel can be uneven underfoot. The grade eases near the top, but the return is still a long descent; take your time if downhill walking bothers your knees. A hiker who wants an easy lakeside wander should stick to the shorter Lake Matheson walk instead.

About halfway up, a seat looks down over the river flats. It is a good place to catch your breath and decide whether you want to continue. Turning around here makes a shorter out-and-back, but it skips Lake Gault itself and the main mountain outlook.

This route has an older working history than its quiet forest setting suggests. It was cut in the 1930s to reach a hydroelectric intake. The scheme sent water over the ridge to power a gold dredge at Gillespies Beach, which operated from 1932 to 1945. The track fell into disrepair and closed in 2000; local volunteers and DOC reopened it in April 2019, and it was upgraded in 2020.

Lake Gault sits in a basin gouged by ice. When the glacier retreated, a large plug of ice remained trapped in the hollow; its meltwater filled the depression and formed the lake. The ridges around it are also part of rowi recovery work: releases of the rare Ōkārito kiwi have been taking place here since December 2018. It is a conservation story to know about, not a wildlife sighting to count on.

There are toilets at the Lake Matheson car park and a composting toilet at the lookout. No drinking-water source or food stop is listed along the route, so carry the water you need for the three-hour walk. DOC says weather can change quickly; carry warm, waterproof layers and check track conditions before setting out. Dogs are not allowed.