Enjoy the reflective views of the glacier valley and mountains on this short, easy walk to a small kettle lake – it’s a great option with children.

 

25 min return 1.1 km return via same track Easiest: Short walk Family Friendly, Short Walk (under 1 hour)

Location

The walk starts at the Franz Josef Glacier Valley carpark. Drive or walk south from the Franz Josef Waiau township across the Waiho River bridge and turn left onto the Glacier Access Road or Te Ara a Waiau. Drive or walk for approximately 4 km to the car park at the end of the road.

The Track

This fully accessible walk winds through the rainforest to a small kettle lake, which was formed by ice melting amongst glacial moraine about 200 years ago. Enjoy the reflective views of the Franz Josef Glacier valley and surrounding mountain peaks.

Return is via the same track or continue on the Douglas walk from Peters Pool.

Track History

Peter’s Pool was named after Peter Westland, a nine-year old boy who camped here with his mother Muriel Westland in 1894. The pool is a fingerprint left by the retreating glacier dropping a chunk of melted ice that formed into a kettle lake around 1800 AD.

A prefabricated hut once stood near the pool and was originally used by the surveyor-explorers A.P. Harper and Charlie Douglas. It was made from corrugated iron bolted to a frame of angle iron with a stone fire-place and tin chimney. The hut was also used by thousands of people on their glacier expeditions. The Graham brothers and their guides used it as a lunch hut where their clients could enjoy a cup of black billy tea.

 

 

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