 Nestled among mature beech and podocarp forest, these pools of deep, clear water flowing into the Makarora River offer a moment of tranquility. If you're brave, you can either jump off the bridge, or head in for a dip. Simply swimming there is an achievement in itself - you'll understand why as soon as you touch the crystal clear water! An easy short 15 minute walk leads to these natural wonders of pure glacial water gathered from the mountains. The walk takes you through beech forest to a swing bridge over Makarora River before continuing on a boardwalk to the second swing bridge, which is the viewing platform over the Blue Pools.  Google will help you to find these gems; in case it doesn't, the car park is on State Highway 6 a little north of Makarora (you can't miss it).
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 Ben Lomond sits at 1748m right behind Queenstown. It is a challenging but rewarding day walk, taking between 6 - 8 hours depending on which route you take. There are two main ways to tackle this climb. You can take the gentler option and grab a scenic ride up the Skyline Gondola, saving yourself a 450 metre (1476 feet) climb up a series of switchbacks but you'll have to fork out for the Gondola, or you can hike from Queenstown itself. We started at the bottom of the Gondola, first heading up the Tiki trail at the top of Brecon Street. The track is straight forward up to the saddle, before hitting a steep rocky section to get to the summit. The views from the summit are magnificent - looking out over the lake and southern alps, this makes for a memorable day. Make sure you leave early, take loads of food and drink, and have good clothing - it gets pretty cold on the tops!  |
AuthorJust a girl, trying to learn to write while sharing our adventures of NZ. In this sectionMt Isthmus Track
Ben Lomond Track Tongariro Northern Circuit Lake Waikeremoana Track Holdsworth - Jumbo Circuit Motutapu Track Northwest Circuit Monowai / Green Lake Circuit Auckland Coromandle East Cape Rere Rock Slide Hawkes Bay Red Rocks Dunedin Moeraki Boulders St Bathans Catlins Milford Sound Blue Pools Archives
June 2018
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