Shek Harn Historic Reserve Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

A walking track along the Fraser River to dwellings used by Chinese miners and the remains of gold workings.

This DOC directory entry covers Shek Harn Historic Reserve Track in Otago, within Alexandra area. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: 4 km return via same track
• Walking time: 1 hr 30 min 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

From the car park at the southern end of Fraser Dam, the track follows the true right of the Fraser River, initially over boulder flats before picking up an old mining water race. There are plenty of historic mining remains to explore, including stone hut ruins, stacked stone tailings, wing dams and rock shelters. The track eventually peters out on rough boulder flats.

Getting there

From Alexandra:

• Follow Earnscleugh Road for around 5 km before turning left into Blackman Road.

• Follow it to Fraser Dam Road (gravel), which continues for 9 km.

• Turn left at the signposted vehicle track before the dam, following it for 2 km to a car park area near the start of the track.

In dry weather, ordinary 2WD cars can negotiate Fraser Dam Road with care. However, the road surface can be rutted and slippery depending on recent weather conditions. A 4WD may be required in winter.

History and culture

Gold mining sites on Earnscleugh Station cover the entire history of gold mining in New Zealand from the earliest gold rush days in Conroys Gully in 1862 to modern workings above the Fraser Dam. Numerous Chinese and European miners worked claims here.

Shek Harn Historic Reserve contains hut ruins and alluvial workings, mainly of Chinese origin. Shek Harn is Cantonese for ‘big stone ditch’.

The linear field of the Fraser River is part of the largest high-altitude gold field in Otago and is an example of some of the most remote workings in an often unforgiving and harsh environment. The amount of work done in these settings was nothing short of impressive.

One of the most striking examples in this area is the Long House, about 2 km upstream of Fraser Dam. It consists of two rooms with well-made 2.5 m high stone walls that are still standing, within a stone-walled enclosure about 20 m by 7 m on a terrace on the true left above the river (opposite side from the track).

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.