Tucked beneath the imposing pinnacle of Mt Crichton, Twelve Mile Creek flows in the shade of beech trees towards Lake Wakatipu. Explore the area via the Mt Crichton Loop Track, a family-friendly trail steeped in history.

The track starts at Mt Crichton car park, 12km from Queenstown on Glenorchy–Queenstown Road, and heads west briefly before dropping to cross the road by the Twelve Mile Creek bridge.

Once across the road, take the walking bridge to the true right of the creek. The track is wide and climbs slowly along the creek’s edge. At Maori Gully the remains of an old swingbridge can be seen. Be careful crossing the stream here as it can rise rapidly after heavy rain.

The track then climbs more steeply and passes through areas littered with artifacts left by goldminers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This includes an enormous excavation that was later sluiced by Chinese miners.

After an hour, a sign marks a junction with a short track to a tail-race. This is well worth the detour. The race funnels water through a narrow chasm carved into the rock and sends it to the creek far below.

Return to the main track for a short walk to historic Sam Summers Hut, positioned near an impressive waterfall. The hut was built by the Summers brothers in 1930, and Sam Summers lived there during the Great Depression, panning for gold and hunting the surrounding area. He had a good vegetable garden and strawberry beds near the hut. Even after the economic outlook improved following World War II, Summers continued to visit, often walking there from Queenstown.

Cross the bridge beside the hut, taking time to admire the waterfall upstream. The track then climbs steeply onto a broad ridgeline. At the junction with the Lake Dispute Track, turn right to follow the ridge down. Occasional clearings provide great views of the surrounding mountains.

The track will bring you back to the road bridge and the short sidle to the car park.