Shirt Tail Track, Kingston NZ

A short but steep walk up the side of a mountain for views over the village of Kingston at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu. The Te Kere Haka Track is an alternative flat option along the lake foreshore.

Shirt Tail Track, Kingston

The small town of Kingston sits at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu, and is a pretty low key place without the tourist scene around Queenstown. The short but steep Shirt Tail Track is one way to get above the town and enjoy the scenery if you are in the area, and the drive down from Queenstown is also nice.

The Te Kere Haka track is another flat option that runs alongside the foreshore of Lake Wakatipu; we did a bit of this but I don’t think we had time to make it to the end. Both walks are nice enough, but there’s much more specular scenery around Queenstown, and at the northern end of the lake around Glenorchy.  

Track Notes

Track information on the DOC website. I’ve classified the Shirt Tail Track as moderate because it is steep, but it’s short and won’t take very long. The Te Kere Haka track is flat.

Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
On a track the whole way. We walked just a bit of the Te Kere Haka Trail also.

Shirt Tail Track: The Scenery

Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
Kingston
Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
Lake Wakatipu backed by the Hector Mountains.
Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
A very blue Lake Wakatipu.
Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
A panorama of the southern end of Lake Wakatipu and the village of Kingston. All backed by the Hector Mountains.
Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
Shirt Tail Stream
Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
Shirt Tail Stream
Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
I picked up some hitchhikers along the way. I think this is actually on the nearby Te Kere Haka Track that runs along the Lake Wakatipu foreshore.
Shirt Tail Track, Kingston
The foreshore of Lake Wakatipu at Kingston.

Author: Edward Hathway

I'm a clinical psychologist and keen hiker.

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