Shallow Bay, Fiordland National Park

Few places in New Zealand rival the exquisite beauty of Shallow Bay, right outside the door of Moturau Hut on the Kepler Track Great Walk in Fiordland.

Undoubtedly, the grand backdrop of the Lake Manapouri mountains is the centrepiece for this arresting panorama. Yet all this is offered just for the effort of an easy 90-minute walk along an undulating path through pristine red beech forest.

The forest possesses enough stately beauty itself to entice walkers to ascend the steep terrace above the Waiau River, but the view from the hut deck, and especially the beach, is undeniably supreme.

Saunter along the sandy shore, gazing over Manapouri’s many islets to the Kepler, Hunter, and Turret ranges to appreciate Fiordland’s mystique, hidden depths and, perhaps, the allure of great adventures to come.

It’s a place of the heart.