Lake Alta, New Zealand
When did I visit: End of December, early morning around 7-8am
Track distance & time to complete: Around 45 mins from the carpark to the lake. Some 30 mins back to the car park. $10 access fee at the ramp during NZ summer months, payable with a credit/debit card
Temperature: Even in summer it can be windy and chilly, bring some layers. Check the weather forecast as part of your planning. For winter advice, visit DOC’s website.
Parking: Free parking at the Remarkables skifield car park
Exact location: Lake Alta, New Zealand on Google Maps
This one has been on my ‘to-visit’ list for such a long time. Propelled by the fact that this is where the Dimrill Dale scene from the Lord of The Rings was filmed, it was a location I just had to visit one day.
What I hadn’t realised was the fact that even in summer, it would take me two attempts to get to it.
The first attempt was aimed at seeing the glacial Lake Alta at sunrise. A chilly and sluggish 3.30am start, followed by incredibly cold winds and dark clouds when we reached the skifield car park at 5am. Things didn’t really look promising with the weather forecast, and I could only stay outside of the car for a minute at a time, no more.
Back to base.
A few days later, we had a new hope and went for another attempt. This time the weather was on our side, plus we were better prepared. Leaving the warmth of our car behind us, we walked past the skifield center and kept going further up following the skifield road to the top of the chairlifts.
You’d think there’s not much life up in these alpine and sometimes dry conditions, but there’s actually such a variety of plants and insects. Nature prevails.
We kept following the trail signs and walking further up, occasionally pausing to admire the views and details of our surroundings. The trail is not so steep, but will still leave you panting at times. If you are doing it in summer, you’d need to stop every now and then to apply sunscreen – the New Zealand sun can be ruthless.
The hike takes you through rather rocky terrain, so make sure you are wearing good shoes. After about 35 minutes of walking, we already started seeing what we assumed was the basin of the lake. It was surrounded by the sharp-edged Double Cone peak – the tallest point (2,340m) of The Remarkables mountain range.
After a few more careful steps making the final stretch, we were treated to some magnificent views.
There was Lake Alta, nestled like a turquoise gem amongst these dark and intimidating mountains, shimmering at a respectable 1,800m altitude.
Technically, Lake Alta is well within DJI’s safe-fly zone and you can operate a drone, but I was too mesmerised and had completely zoned out. In hindsight, I wish I had some drone footage of this absolutely amazing place.
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The pure scale of it can barely be caught on camera – I’ve tried. While Bianca had ventured into seeing the lake from a different perspective, I quickly snapped a photo.
After trying to see the lake from every possible angle and having a well-deserved breakfast, it was time to start heading back. Groups of hikers kept arriving at the lake – a good reminder of how important it is to make for an early start and avoid crowds.
Also, we were right on time to avoid the scorching hot sun that was now being felt on our skin. There were barely any clouds in sight to guard us from it.
One last look at Double Cone, and we were on our way back.
Thanks for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed the story and images of my journey.
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