Pigeon Island Summit, Lake Wakatipu NZ

A shortish walk on Pigeon Island, at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by spectacular mountains. You’ll likely meet a weka or two as well.

Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu

Pigeon Island is a small island at the Glenorchy end of Lake Wakatipu. You can only get there by boat/kayak, (unless you’re a really good swimmer!) There’s a handful of short tracks on the island, and when we visited we climbed to the island’s high point for good views over the grand peaks at that end of the lake. There are also plentiful weka there, an otherwise rare flightless bird confined to just a few islands in New Zealand.

The walk starts at the island’s camp ground, and is a shortish climb up about 150 vertical metres. 

 

Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
The route was pretty obvious when we did it. There may have been signs and markers. I think we took a left turn to access the summit more directly (as depicted here). If that’s not correct then you can nevertheless see that the main track bends around to arrive at the summit from the north.

Pigeon Island Summit Track: The Scenery

Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
How we travelled to the island.
Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
Mt Earnslaw
Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
Mt Larkins I think.
Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
A weka in the undergrowth. Some of them were really very tame.
Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
I think these are the Thomson Mountains, with Tooth Peak somewhat prominent.
Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
Pig Island
Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
A bird I managed to snap with my telephoto lens. I like the quite distinctive and common native flower that it’s sitting on; part of large plant. Not sure of the name of either bird or plant. (…a juvenile Bellbird and Native Flax!!)
Pigeon Island Summit Track, Lake Wakatipu
A weka on the beach, viewed as we left on the boat.

Author: Edward Hathway

I'm a clinical psychologist and keen hiker.

2 thoughts on “Pigeon Island Summit, Lake Wakatipu NZ”

  1. Hi there,
    Great description of your route. I just wanted to let you know that weka are not rare, in fact quite common and they are rampant up and down the west coast 🙂

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