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Location & access
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route. Check the official route directions before travel.
Official location informationLocation source
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route.
Reference point: -44.45804, 169.35403. WGS84 coordinates retained at the official service's returned precision; decimal resolution is not survey accuracy. Source positional accuracy is not specified.
DOC Maps walking and tramping reference point (WGS84), exact official-page GUID / Department of Conservation. Checked 2026-10-12.
Key facts
- Distance
- 12 km one way
- Walking time
- 3 -4 hr one way
- Track grade
- Easy
- Location
- Hāwea Conservation Park
- Dog access
- No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Checked against official sources on 8 October 2026. Rules and conditions are set by Department of Conservation — confirm with them before you go.
Route overview
The Dingle Burn Peninsula Track is a pleasant walk to the Turihuka Conservation Area. It also provides access into Hāwea Conservation Park via the Dingle Burn and Hunter River Tracks.
This DOC directory entry covers Dingle Burn Peninsula Track in Otago, within Hāwea Conservation Park. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: 12 km one way
- Walking time: 3 -4 hr one way
- DOC grade: Easy
Access and alerts
Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.
Dog access
No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
From the carpark follow the 4WD road, on foot or bicycle, above the lake to Rocky Point around the bluffs. On clear days Mount Aspiring/Tititea can be seen from here. After about an hour and a half the road reaches Silver Island Bay. Here the public track leaves the road and crosses the Silver Burn. It then climbs and sidles around the peninsula's western side for spectacular views into the Hunter valley.
The Turihuka Conservation Area is at the mouth of the Dingle Burn and 5 km on from the Silver Burn. It is a basic camping site with a toilet.
The Hunter River Valley Track and Dingle Burn Track are signposted from here.
Mountain biking
Biking on the formed track is permitted from the carpark to Turihuka Conservation Area and beyond to the Hunter Valley. The Dingle Burn Track is walking access only.
Getting there
From Lake Hāwea Township follow the unsealed Dingleburn Station Road to the public carpark. No vehicle access is permitted beyond this point.
Know before you go
Track closures for stock movement
The Dingle Burn Peninsula Track will sometimes be closed for up to five hours while stock is moved along the track. This is because the track goes through a working farm. Closure signs will be at either end of the Dingle Burn Peninsula Track, do not continue past the signs.
The track is narrow with high bluffs and drop-offs. There's no room for you to get past stock without:
a high risk of causing serious injury
loss of life to yourself
loss of life to the stock, and
loss of life or injury to people moving the stock.
Sources and reuse
Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.
The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.
