Skippers is part of Mount Aurum Recreation Reserve and saw much of Wakatipu’s 1860s gold fever. It offers dramatic views and opportunities to walk, tramp, camp, paint, kayak, mountain bike, picnic and raft.

• The reserve was established in 1985 from Mount Aurum Station and annually attracts tens of thousands of visitors wanting to explore the 9,100 ha reserve, despite the challenges of getting there.
• The reserve begins after crossing the historic Skippers suspension bridge. Opened in 1901 it’s the most spectacular of its kind in New Zealand. On the terrace above is a virtual ghost town, the remnants of Skippers Township, once the largest gold settlement on the Shotover River.
• Mount Aurum Reserve offers dramatic views and opportunities to walk, tramp, camp, paint, kayak, mountain bike, picnic and raft - you can even bring your dog. 
• Spend the night in the historic Dynamo Hut on the dramatic site of the first industrial use of electricity in New Zealand - see Bullendale hydro mine.
• Skippers Canyon was a location for the Ford of Bruinen - see Lord of the Rings film locations.