Lake McIvor Overnight Camping

The adventure begins with a stunning flight across Lake Te Anau and the Murchison ranges before we land on Lake McIvor itself. This is weather dependant, there is the option to Helicopter instead for an additional $50. Once the group is unloaded and the plane has left us alone in this remote, pristine environment, we commence our walk along the lake edge, through the native forest containing clusters of 1000+ year old beech trees and moss gardens.

The terrain is flat and easy walking all the way to our picturesque lunch spot which is approx 1.5 hours from where we started. Along the way your guide will point out the various flora and fauna that make this part of the world so special. After a delicious lunch we have a 2 hour walk through mainly Fiordland bush and alpine tussock following nothing but deer trails. This gives amazing opportunities to view deer in their own habitat. Our camping site is in a remote valley nestled on the shores of a pristine alpine lake surrounded by the Barrier Peaks. Here you can chose to swim in the lake or relax before we have a traditional kiwi bush tucker dinner.

After a scrumptious dinner we walk to an adjacent clearing approx 20 minutes away in the hope spotting a few deer and other wildlife including numerous native birds. On previous trips the exceptionally rare Takahe as well Kiwis, Moreporks and Wekas have all been seen around our campsite area. This is one of the only places you will have the opportunity to go to see Kiwi’s in their natural habitat as they are so endangered and have very few predator free environments in which to live.

After a sound night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, we commence our descent through green, luscious, native bush, down towards Lake Te Anau. There are no marked tracks, it’s all deer trails following an underground river that has its’ source up at Lake McIvor. We break out of the bush and stop for lunch at a scenic waterfall overlooking the middle arm of Lake Te Anau and the Takahe reserve.

After lunch we continue our descent, enjoying glimpses of the surrounding mountains and deep blue lake all the way down. We arrive on a small beach on the far side of Lake Te Anau at approx 4pm. From here we relax before taking the scenic boat ride back to Te Anau Township.