Just visible from the pebbled shores of Kinloch, at the northern end of Lake Wakitupu, lies a cluster of small islands. The oddly named Pig and Pigeon Islands are lost amongst the vast volume of  water that makes up New Zealands longest lake, but these specs in an obis of blue comprise of more than 170 hectres of mostly untamed land.

Cut off from predators, the Islands have grown into a natural haven showcaseing some of New Zealand’s unique native flora and fauna. And thanks to New Zealand Department of Conservation, rough trails have been formed allowing the opportunity to explore all that the islands have to offer without being ripped to shreads during the dreaded backcountry pasttime of bush bashing.

But despite its beauty and tranquillity, it is a place rarely visited by tourists. And the reason? Well, although these islands lie just a stones throw from the tourist metropolis of Queenstown and run alongside one of New Zealand’s most scenic drives- ‘The Glenorchy road to Paradise’ – these lumps of land protruding from the waters of Lake Wakitupu are only accessible by boat. And with no companies operating commercial trips June through to september,  Wakitipus little known Gem, is inaccessible to all but the most inquisitive and determined of travellers during the winter months… Which to us made it all the more appealing.

And so a plan was hatched. We would arrange a day off from wwoofing at the picturesque Kinloch Lodge; get our hands on some Kayaks; paddle an unknown distance across open water; hit the shores of Pigeon Island; make a quick recky of the island; and head back home just in time for some delicious Kinloch Kai.

Unfortunately, in our eagerness for adventure, what we hadn’t accounted for was the southerly that was due to sweep in and smash Otago and Southland. Awakening the next morning we were greeted to a full blown storm which had transferred a usually picturesque lake into what resembled a ferocious sea.

Foolishly determined, Chris and I geared up and headed out to the boat shed at dawn as planned, Danielle reluctantly in tow. Stood in the lashing rain with a backdrop of rolling waves, Chris and I began our attempts to convince Danielle (and ourselves) that no, maybe the conditions weren’t exactly ‘perfect’. Maybe the water was a ‘little’ more choppy than we had hoped for.. and the winds a ‘little’ higher than what might be desirable for a 4 -5 hour deep water crossing… but it was “still totally do-able”. Un-phased by our wilful attempts to convince her otherwise, Danielle (who’d spent the best part of ten years of her life lifeguarding pools) took one look at the lake and then at us as and with a face of disbelief, turned around and quick marched back to Kinloch, point blank refusing to go anywhere near the water “on a day like today”. A decision which, as much as I hate to admit it…probably saved our lives.

Defeated by our commitment to make the crossing as a trio,  Chris and I sluggishly followed Danielle back to the lodge where we took our usual spaces next to the roaring log fire. The rest of the day was spent staring longingly out of the steamy windows at the onslaught of rain which had washed away our plans of adventure.

High winds and heavy rain raged on through the day and into the night and our chances of pushing on with our little escapade the following day seemed to be slipping further and further away. But with a new dawn came a new day… and what a day it was!! Brilliant blue skies. Not a cloud in sight. And not a hint of wind. It was on.

Psyched, we grabbed our gear (which for Danielle, included her beloved mini hot water bottle) and raced to the boat shed. In super quick time we dragged out the kayaks, suited up and pushed off from the graveled shoreline.

Mindful of the of Jet boats which usually tear into the bay from the graded shallows of the Dart River, our early morning journey across into the centre of Lake Wakitupu was a blissfully cautious one. It would take just two and a half hours for us to make the crossing and hit land, but it turns out that when you continuously use the body’s smallest muscle group to propel you through water for 150 minutes, kayaking can turn into a pretty painful affair! Luckily the serenity and awe- inspiring beauty of our sourroundings offered momentary distractions from the agony of lactic acid swimming around our shoulders.

After dragging our Kayaks ashore, we took advantage of a quick refuelling opportunity accompanied by a couple of inquizative Weka’s, before setting off through thick bush in search of a trail. Without much effort at all, we stumbled across a well-trodden but a little over grown trail which took us around the circumstance of the island and up to its summit in little over two and a half hours.

The island itself was alive with the sound of song birds and from the highest point, offered stunning 360 degree views of the valleys and mountain ranges surrounding New Zealand’s longest lake. But the sweetest thing of all was that we seemed to be the only ones there to enjoy it. An island all to ourselves.

 

 

But for Chris who was struggling with a knee injury and Danielle who was having to face her irrational fear of trees and (I quote) “green nature”, the end of the trek couldn’t have come any sooner!

Back in our Kayaks there seemed to be an unspoken determination in the air. Eager to avoid the plummeting temperatures of the winter nights and the ever changing conditions of an unpredictable lake, we paddled hard, racing the sun as it began to sink behind the white washed peaks of the Humboldt range.

But it wasn’t long before my sense of urgency was lost in the picture perfect scene before me. Resting my paddle across my soggy legs, my kayak eventually slowed to a stop. Sat completely alone, I watched as the peaks around me turned from a glistening white to a fiery alpine orange. Their reflections cast like a mirror image across the eerily still waters of the lake. It was one of those rare moments in life that makes you take a deep breath and realise how incredible the world really can be.

As the day faded away into darkness we arrived back into Kinloch’s harbour. The lodges twinkiling lights and billowing chimney couldn’t have been a more welcomed sight on what was now an icy cold winters night. Slowly clambering from the kayaks, our hands frozen to the touch and our bodies shaking from the inside out, we briefly celebrated our sub 2 hour return paddle victory, before racing inside in search of a burning fire and that much needed Kai.

Another epic day in New Zealand.

*If your thinking of creating your own Wakitupu adventure, stay at the beautiful Kinloch Lodge and YHA. Make use of their Bike and Kayak hire and spend your evening enjoying the food available in their delicious restaurant before relaxing with a glass of your favourite red in the hot tub under a starry sky. For guided tours on Wakatipu check out Kinloch Lodge or for a guided tour to Pigeon Island, we are informed a company called Rippled Earth operate commercial tours October through to May. 

http://www.kinlochlodge.co.nz

*Please note….This information is correct to our knowledge at the time of publication 🙂