Boundary Creek, Hawea Conservation Area

At the top of Lake Wanaka is a little used track into a hanging valley with broad flats and patches of beech forest. Boundary Creek starts at the old Boundary Creek roadman’s base and follows an even older musterer’s track up a ridge on the true right of the creek to about the 850m mark, where it slowly descends into Boundary Creek’s upper reaches.

The track is quite indistinct at times, but easily followed by anyone with moderate route-finding ability.

The upper valley makes a wonderful camping area in good weather and the top of the musterer’s track has fantastic views into the Makarora area. Ascending the McKerrow range to the east will give glimpses of Lake Hawea and the Hunter Valley for experienced groups.

Boundary is a nice tramp if you feel like getting away from it all in a quiet backcountry place. The Boundary Creek fan, incidentally, is where many people have washed up after drowning in the Makarora river. It used to be one of the roadman’s jobs to check for the bodies and report them, a grisly task.

– Brent Hollow