Reko's Point Track
Short walk
Time:
1 hr
Getting there
Nine kilometres from Wanaka turn off SH6 onto Stevensons Road and travel to the end to reach the carpark. Alternative access and parking is at the other end of the track, on Shortcut Road, near the Luggate - Aoraki/Mount Cook intersection on SH6, 12 kilometres from Wanaka.
Description
Clutha River/Mata-Au from Reko's
Point access track
From the Stevensons Road carpark the track starts on a terrace above the river and then leads down and alongside the Clutha/Mata Au. After that it passes old gold tailings above the river. After some twenty minutes the track reaches a pleasant, sheltered picnic place. It then climbs to another terrace above the river.
At around an hour from the carpark the track reaches the entrance to Reko's Conservation Area. Walkers can ramble at will in this area and/or carry on to come out at Shortcut Road, near SH6.
Alongside the Clutha River/Mata-Au
Reko's was named by local kayakers after Reko, a Kāi Tahu chief who guided Nathanial Chalmers inland. Chalmers was the first European to sight Lake Wanaka and returned to the east coast with Reko and another Māori, Kaikora, down the Mata Au on a koradi raft they built. Their journey took just four days.
Plan and prepare
What to expect on a short walk:
- Easy walking for up to an hour
- Track is well formed, with an even surface. There may be steps or slopes
- Suitable for people of most abilities and fitness
- Stream and rivers crossings are bridged
- Walking shoes required