Lake Gault Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

A gradual climb on a historical tramping track through ancient podocarp forest provides panoramic views of Aoraki /Mount Cook. On a good day, you can see the mountain landscape reflected in Lake Gault.

This DOC directory entry covers Lake Gault Track in West Coast, within Fox Glacier area / Westland Tai Poutini National 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: 8 km return via same track
• Walking time: 3 hr return
• 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

Beginning from the Lake Matheson carpark, follow the Lake Matheson/Te Ara Kairaumati walk in an anti-clockwise direction before branching off to Lake Gault.

The track gradually climbs 200 m through original podocarp forest with several small stream crossings.

There is a lookout spot with a seat about half-way up the hill. It's a handy rest spot with a nice view down to the river flats.

As the track flattens out, you’ll catch glimpses of Lake Gault through the vegetation. Continue several minutes to the lookout point.

The lookout spot offers incredible panoramic views of the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. On a still day, these peaks are perfectly reflected on the surface of Lake Gault. There is a shelter with two picnic tables at the lookout.

At the lookout you'll find information panels about the view, history and nature in the area.

Early morning is the best time for mirror views, when the lake is calm and before clouds obscure the mountains.

Getting there

• Turn onto Cook Flat Road in the middle of Fox Glacier Weheka township.

• Travel 5 km along this road then turn right onto the side road to Lake Matheson.

• The track starts from the Lake Matheson carpark.

Know before you go

Be prepared

• Check the current track conditions and weather forecasts on NIWA or at the Westland Tai Poutini National Park Visitor Centre and isite before starting your trip.

• Always take warm and waterproof clothing as the weather can change fast.

Facilities

Toilets are located at the Lake Matheson car park.

There is also a composting toilet at the end of the track.

No drones

Flying a drone without a permit is strictly prohibited.

Drone use on conservation land

Nature and conservation

Return of the rowi

Rowi are the rarest of the five species of kiwi. Learn more about the rowi species.

Thanks to an intensive conservation effort, this national taoka (treasure) has returned from the brink of extinction. Operation Nest Egg (ONE) has been a key conservation tool in helping turn the population around. The programme takes eggs from the wild, hatches them at incubation facilities and raises chicks in a predator-free environment. When the chicks reach a ‘stoat-proof’ weight, they are returned to the mainland forests of South Westland.

Since December 2018, rowi have slowly been released in the hills surrounding Lake Gault. They are dispersing through their ancestral home. Predator Free South Westland and Predator Free 2050 aim to ensure that the unmistakable nocturnal calls of rowi will continue to echo through these forests for countless nights to come.

Learn more about or donate to Operation Nest Egg.

Lowland forests

In most regions, lowland forests were targeted for development and lost. These South Westland protected lowlands contain some of the best examples of temperate rainforest in the Southern Hemisphere.

From the majestic stands of kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) rising high above fertile coastal soils to the dense, ancient podocarp forest and unusual heath shrublands found in swamplands on the plateaus, this area has an variety of flora and fauna.

The rich soil provides food for kiwi, while the charismatic kākā feeds on the nectar of the southern rātā (Metrosideros umbellata) flowers. The New Zealand falcon/kārearea hunts in these forests, and the woodpigeon/kererū is fattened by the fleshy fruits of the rimu, tōtara and miro forest below.

Tūī, fantail/piwakawaka, tomtit/piropiro and bellbird/korimako thrive here. Within the wetlands live the more secretive fernbird/mātātā and Australasian bittern/matuku, along with members of the majestic heron family.

History and culture

Track history

The track to Lake Gault was originally cut in the 1930s to service the power station’s intake. Many hydroelectric-power-scheme workers chose to climb up beside the pipeline instead and the track fell into disrepair before being closed in 2000.

In April 2019 this track was re-opened after a 20-year closure thanks to the efforts of local volunteers. This initiative was led by the Fox Glacier Community Development Society in partnership with DOC.

In 2020 the track was then upgraded, as part of a package of work to sustain tourism in the area and build the glacier country's economic resilience.

Glacial landscapes

Today, the Fox Glacier/Te Moeka o Tuawe is a remnant of this once giant glacier. During the last ice advance, the glacier moved masses of debris down the valley. Dumped along the glacier’s edges, the debris formed a series of immense moraine ridges.

Lake Gault lies in a carved-out hollow excavated by ice. As the last glacier retreated, a huge plug of ice was trapped. Its melt waters filled the depression, creating the lake.

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.