The golden triangle
Vaughan Wilson completes his trio of tales, making the most of our confinement to our own backyard and suggesting great road trips you and your classic can take together
The ‘golden triangle’, as I like to call it, is the Queenstown– Wānaka–cromwell/clyde/ Alexandra route and the roads in between. Most people will have heard enough about the adrenaline pumping and other attractions of Queenstown, such as jet boating, bungee jumping, and white-water rafting, so we’ll focus on the attractions of the other parts of this triangle.
And golden it is — not just because of the riches hewn from the ground and panned from rivers during the gold rush or because of the wealth brought in by the jet-setters who have settled into this most serene region, but mostly because of the tawny hues that colour the landscape from late summer to early winter.
We arrived in mid April; autumn was in full flight and the leaves were brilliant yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. We bypassed Queenstown altogether and headed for our accommodation, a modern house in the suburbs of Wānaka. The name ‘Wānaka’ is the South Island version of the word ‘wānanga’, a place of sacred knowledge or learning.
The next day we drove for
45 minutes to Makarora, a small town on State Highway (SH) 6 on the way to Haast and at the top of Lake Wānaka. The road is excellent, subject to some road works, and a real joy to drive with amazing scenery and views, first across Lake Hāwea and then, after crossing a narrow neck of land, Lake Wānaka.
This one-horse town has a large barcome-cafe-come-petrol-station, and not much else. We parked our car, walked across the road, and climbed aboard a small Cessna. There were five of us plus the pilot and not much room for anything else. The plane was painted bright yellow — handy if searchers had to search for its wreckage in the deep green bush.
INSPIRING ASPIRING
We bumped across a grass airstrip and soon we were flying into Mount Aspiring National Park. The views over the valleys made us proud to be Kiwis. We passed over numerous rivers, lakes, and ridges and scooted around mountain peaks, some much higher than ourselves. Rounding about we retraced our steps before heading up Siberia Valley. Near the end of this beautiful oasis in the middle of nowhere was a meadow Walt Disney would have been proud of. Touching down we un-sardined from the aircraft and stood by as the little yellow plane climbed away again and left us in solitude.
We walked a short distance to a wide but shallow river. We were told that the water would be cold but struth, this was well worse than that. Certain the undergrowth was full of the frigid corpses of polar bears who had succumbed to the sub-zeros of this glacier melt, we struggled to the other side — me, a two-year-old toddler, two gasping teenagers, and a cursing wife. Pleased to have survived, we rewarded ourselves with a 9km stroll down the valley with a gentle hill to climb. The views along the way were fantastic, with snow-covered peaks towering above us.
Arriving at the confluence of two rivers we had lunch and waited for our jetboat. We had an exhilarating and brisk 40-minute ride plus a history lesson courtesy of the driver, in between flipping 360-degree turns and careering over shallow braided rapids.
We arrived back at our car. If you don’t have a toddler in tow you would be wise to visit the nearby Blue Pools, a short Department of Conservation walk of 30 minutes or so to the brilliant blue, glacial waters where the brave dive in to wrestle with hypothermia.
EAT A CHINOOK
Due to Wānaka’s recent growth spurt many of the houses are new and more are on their way, sections now opening up close to the town or slightly further afield at Albert Town and Lake Hāwea.
Restaurants and cafes are common in these suburbs and the centre of town has a good selection of places to eat and water. Hook restaurant is a few
minutes’ drive from the town centre and gives visitors the chance to catch their own Chinook salmon for cooking and eating on site. It has a great outdoor area and is popular with locals and visitors alike.
Mount Iron is a short distance from town and a pleasant 30-minute hike up to a viewing point overlooking the township and surrounding area.
It is a favourite with locals, many of who complete it once a day. There are numerous routes and loops to keep the trail interesting. Also nearby is the Hāwea Wave, built in the Hāwea River, that takes water from Lake Hāwea to the Clutha River. It was built in 2012 near the Camp Hill bridge and provides fun and thrills for kayaks and those who surf — well.
We rented bikes in town and rode around the lake counterclockwise along beautiful trails. On one side you had large mansions on expansive grounds. On the other gorgeous vistas across Lake Wānaka to the mountains on the other side. Eventually you come to the start of the Clutha River, the outflow of the lake. It is by far New Zealand’s largest river by volume (614 cumecs) and its second longest, after the Waikato. It is also one of the world’s fastest flowing at around 15kph, so be careful if you go for a dip.
The trees were brilliant with the colours of autumn and the trail was littered with leaves. We continued our ride down the river to Albert Town. There is a well-known patisserie there called ‘Pembroke’, after the original settlers’ name for Wānaka — a welcome stop for the weary cyclist. Back on the bikes we retraced our pedal strokes, baby in tow, literally, in a chariot on the back.
MOUNTAIN-BIKING MECCA
Driving clockwise from the township you soon leave suburbia. The road continues on to Treble Cone, possibly New Zealand’s most challenging ski field. Before that there is Roys Peak, a 1578m edifice with views that will leave you speechless. It is an easy walk, but it is a 16km round trip. Walkers should allow five to six hours to complete it but the views are so worth it.
Further on from Roys Peak car park is Glendhu Bay, one of the most stunning parts of Wānaka which makes it one of the most stunning parts of New Zealand. There is a large motor camp here, the only one on the lakefront. It offers picturesque views across the lake to mountains and farmland. A new development here is the Glendhu Bay Mountain Bike Park, a 1000ha facility that will end up with 50km of trails offering riders downhill thrills in a spectacular setting — when you can raise your eyes from the trails.
Don’t worry if you are a novice or if your fitness is waning. They have trails for all skill levels, electric and conventional bikes for hire, and they offer a van service to take you to the top of the hill if uphill cycling is not your thing. They opened eight weeks before lockdown — tough — but they are now enjoying excellent patronage. There is a cafe at the bottom to help replenish depleted energy stores.
Nearby is a more gentle walk to Diamond Lake. The lake itself is a quick 15-minute hike with a circular loop. There are longer versions up the nearby hill to provide views over Glendhu Bay and the surrounding landscapes.
NEW LAKE DUNSTAN RIDE
A 40-minute drive along SH6 to Cromwell provides ample opportunity to stretch your car’s legs and for the passengers to take in the views with the Pisa Range to the right and Lake Dunstan formed in 1992 by the completion of the Clyde Dam on the
Near the end of this beautiful oasis in the middle of nowhere was a meadow Walt Disney would have been proud of
Clutha. Cromwell is at the confluence of the Kawerau and Clutha rivers and sits on the shores of the new lake. The Ministry of Works seriously missed a trick here by not giving the town it developed for the dam workers a nice frontage and esplanade along what it knew would be the new lake shore. The town is all inward looking. The lake continues on past the township but in a fairly narrow gorge to the dam above the Clyde township some 26km further downriver.
The Lake Dunstan ride is the latest in a series of significant new bike rides in New Zealand. It was due to open in April this year — we were hoping to be among the first groups of riders but the opening was delayed to May. It is advertised as a 55km ride but a shorter version of 39km begins in the Cromwell Heritage Precinct.
What makes this ride spectacular apart from the views is the construction. It is on the other side of Lake Dunstan from SH8 to Clyde. Some of the trail is bolted to sheer rock, meaning that you are riding over the water. It is not a technical ride so you don’t need a lot of experience but it is unique. Wait till you see the timber pathways that semi-helix down the slopes — definitely a must do and a ride that conveniently connects with the Otago Central Rail Trail at Clyde.
If you haven’t visited Clyde this is also a must do — to take in the quaint little original stone buildings offering coffee, food, and bike hire. There are lots of bike-hire places in Cromwell and Clyde that will take you back to your car and provide you with electric or conventional bike equipment. We have used both She Bikes He Bikes and Bike It Now, both in Clyde, and there’s also the Cromwell Heritage Precinct Bike Rentals company.
Foiled by the delayed trail opening we went instead to Clyde, got in a van with our rented bikes, and drove to the Roxburgh gorge dam, the first of the large dam projects which opened in 1957, and cycled off down Roxburgh gorge. This beautiful area was a mecca for gold miners who toiled here in the depths of winter and the extreme heat of summer looking to make their fortune.
The trial is suitable for the average or novice rider and we had it largely to ourselves that day. An 11km ride takes you to a small jetty where a prearranged jetboat picks you up. A local who can name every rock and cranny guides you up the river, pointing out things of interest and doing the odd doughnut. He leaves you at the next part of the ride. We lunched and then rode the gentle 10km back to Alexandra. We chose to continue on and rode 13km along the Clutha River back to Clyde. It’s a beautiful ride in itself and a sound addition to the Otago Central Rail Trail.
This is the second time we have ridden the Roxburgh Gorge Trail, which is its own recommendation. It offers a changing landscape, a fun time boating, and pleasant waterholes in Clyde and Alexandra. It also provides an insight to the life and times of the early settlers, which for all its grittiness must also have offered moments of great beauty in such a landscape.
A trip to Cromwell isn’t complete without a visit to
The lake continues on past Cromwell but in a fairly narrow gorge to the next dam, above the village of Clyde some 26km further downriver