Four wheel driving around Tekapo
These tracks involve river crossings so caution and skill are vital. In route descriptions true left or true right denotes the side of the river when facing and looking downstream.
Please follow the braided river care code.
Macaulay River valley - Macaulay Hut
Distance: 18km
Macaulay River valley
From the Lilybank road end, ford the Macaulay River and follow the DOC signs for Macaulay Hut. Orange trail markers denote permanent sections of four-wheel track and the best places to cross the river.
Macaulay Hut is located on the lower Tindill fan and is run by the Mackenzie Alpine Trust (14 bunks). The hut is free to the public but donations are readily accepted.
Please end your trip here, as the upper valley beyond the hut has many fragile areas which are easily damaged by vehicles.
Godley River valley (east side) - Separation Stream
Distance: 30km
From the Lilybank road end, cross the Macaulay River to reach a marked public-access route through Lilybank Station. A four-wheel drive track follows the east side of the Godley valley for 25km to Red Stag Hut (4 bunks.) This hut is owned by the South Canterbury branch of the NZ Deer Stalker's Assocation. Fees are $3 a night per person.
From here it is a further 5km to Separation Stream (the track is rougher in condition). It is one-hour walk from Separation Stream to Godley Hut, situated on the true right of Fitzgerald Stream, above the glacial-terminal lake.