Braeburn Walk, Lake Rotoroa, Nelson Lakes NP, 7 January 2022

The other side of Nelson Lakes NP...Lake Rotoroa 

I had nearly three weeks off over the Christmas break and I wanted to get some tramping in somewhere. My original plan was to do a crossing of Harpers Pass just after New Years. I just couldn't work out the logistics of getting to/from the track so I had to shelve it while I try to work out my planning kinks. Instead I returned to my favorite National Park for a couple of days of short walks and camping. 

Turning off SH 6 into the Gowan Valley & Lake Rotoroa

My first port of call was Lake Rotoroa which is the poor cousin of St Arnaud and Lake Rotoiti to the north. Lake Rotoroa used to be just as popular as Lake Rotoiti as a holiday destination but it has been left behind and is now very under developed and usually very, very quiet. 

Edge of Nelson Lakes NP at Lake Rotoroa

They only time it is busy is over Christmas-New Years and there were a ton of motor boats as well as some kind of rowing regatta. This was no problem for me as I was here to walk the Braeburn Walk on the southern side of the lake. I did go over to the main part of Lake Rotoroa after the tramp to have a look at the lake and take some photos. 

Rotoroa Bridge crosses the Gowan River into the National Park

Lake Rotoroa is more than twice the side of Lake Rotoiti and it gives you access at the head to the Sabine Valley, D'Urville Valley, Travers Range and a number of lakeside DOC huts. It was beautiful looking out on the lake and you could see a number of water craft out and about. It looked very appealing though the swarms of sandflies are a real pest. 

Lake Rotoroa with distant Muntz, Braeburn & Travers Ranges

Braeburn Range to south of Lake Rotoroa

I have walked a couple of tracks here over the years...the Braeburn Walk and Nature Walk near the settlement and sections of the old Lake Rotoroa Track which used to go up the northern edge of the lake to Sabine Hut and the Travers-Sabine Circuit. This track has not been maintained for over 5 years and is now a rough and ready route and not for your average day tramper. 

The DOC track information at Lake Rotoroa

My interest on this trip was not along the northern side of the lake but further along the Braeburn Track about 400 meters south of the Gowan River...

On the Braeburn Walk:

The Braeburn Walk is a very nice 1.5-2 hour walk along the south shore of Lake Rotoroa to a waterfall at the end of the track. You then follow a loop track back to a point about halfway along the walk and from there back to the track end. There is a small carparking area here just off Braeburn Track with a sign marking the start of the Braeburn Walk. 

Start of the Braeburn Walk at Lake Rotoroa

The Silver Surfer parked at the carpark on Braeburn Track

Map: Braeburn Walk, Lake Rotoroa, Nelson Lakes NP

The weather was lovely when I visited as it was the whole time I was in Nelson Lakes NP and it was perfect conditions for a walk through a forest. The track is well marked and obvious and at the start is very well maintained although it does get a bit rougher further along. 

The track surface is grass at the start of the Braeburn Walk

Warning about interfering with traps along the Braeburn Walk

The forest is mostly beech species with a smattering of podocarps like Kahikatea, Fuchsia, Rimu, Matai and Whitey Wood. The forest & understory is thick along the track as this basically pristine forest has been protected from human intervention. 

Juvenile version of the Lancewood Tree

Here are some mature Lancewood Trees at my work...

I made my way along the track and the walking was quick and easy as the first 1.5 kilometers of the track is flat with only minor deviations in elevation to deal with. There are a number of steeper switchbacks if you want to walk up to view the waterfall. 

The forest was absolutely alive with the sound and sight of invasive German Wasps as Nelson Lakes NP has a noted problem with them. They were on every surface and you have to be especially careful not to put your hand on any of them. 

The forest closes in around the Braeburn Walk

Jon on the Braeburn Walk at Lake Rotoroa

Braeburn Walk...long straight track to start...

After about 600 meters you come to a small no name stream with a foot bridge over the water. There are no animals or humans on this side of the lake so I am sure you could drink the water out of the stream without treating it. It is a shallow rocky stream flowing down to the lakeside which is about 500 meters to the north of you along this section of the walk.

The No Name Stream which crosses the Braeburn Walk

..No Name Stream on the Braeburn Walk...view upriver...

..No Name Stream on the Braeburn Walk...down river...

Past the stream the forest starts to change and there are more large Beech trees along the track sides. There is a mix of beech species and I saw Black Beech, Mountain Beech and Red Beech Trees for the rest of the track. 

Just past the No Name Stream on the Braeburn Walk

Braeburn Walk...Beech species predominate....

Eventually you will reach a track junction which is the loop section of the Braeburn Walk and leads to the waterfall. You can walk either way around the loop but I recommend you go right and walk to the waterfall first. That way you will walking down hill and along flat track from the waterfall all the way back to the start of the track. 

Start of the loop to the waterfall on the Braeburn Walk

Jon on the Braeburn Walk at Lake Rotoroa

The forest is still beech but the tangled undergrowth gives way to extensive areas of ferns and smaller trees with some big gaps between the predominant Red Beech trees. 

Braeburn Walk...the understory features extensive ferns...

...they blanket the hills under the forest canopy...

An area of native Fuchsia Trees on the Braeburn Walk

It was darker along this section of the walk as the big beech trees blocked a lot of the sun but it was in the mid 20's so it was still pleasantly warm as you trundled along the track. I did not encounter anyone until near the end when I passed two women who were walking into the waterfall so I had the forest to myself...

It was darker under the trees on the Braeburn Walk

You are slowly climbing the side of the Braeburn Range and as you tramp you pass a few reminders of the glacial past of this region. I noted a number of ancient forest covered moraine walls and there were some big erratic rocks here and there along the track. 

Glacial erratic rocks along the Braeburn Walk

Dappled forest floor along the Braeburn Walk

I thought this mini forest on this fallen tree trunks was uber cool...there were a variety of small trees, bushes, ferns and mosses growing along it....picturesque AF!!!

A whole miniature forest growing on a log...Braeburn Walk

It was most pleasant just ambling along under the cover of the trees...there are worse things to be doing of an afternoon!!!

It is gently uphill to the waterfall track...Braeburn Walk

Wind fallen tree across the Braeburn Walk

You cross a number of small bridges along the Braeburn Walk

Junction of the waterfall track and Braeburn Walk

The track started to climb higher along the side of the hills and it eventually deposits you at another track junction about 10 minutes walk from the loop track junction. This is where you head more steeply up to the waterfall...

The Waterfall Track winds uphill from the Braeburn Walk

Muddy section heading to the waterfall...Braeburn Walk

Braeburn Walk... switchbacks on the way to the waterfall

The waterfall is not massive but it would be at least a 20 meter drop and there was quite a lot of water pumping over it. You can view the falls from the track or you can try to climb down to the basin at the bottom and view them from ground level. The hillside you need to climb down is steep and as I was by myself I thought admiring it from a distance was safer than a fall and a broken leg...

The waterfall at the end of the Braeburn Walk

I try to climb down to the waterfall base...Braeburn Walk

After 10 minutes sitting and admiring the waterfall I grabbed my gear and set off back down the hill to the track junction. It is a bit muddy and slippery heading down so watch your step...

Heading back to the track junction...Braeburn Walk

You can see how steep it was climbing to the waterfall...

From the track junction it is forty minutes back to the start of the track...I continued along the Loop Track with the Waterfall Stream off to my right. To start with you are walking downhill in the direction of the Lake as you make your way to the bottom section of the Loop.

Braeburn Walk...40 minutes back to the entrance

Braeburn Walk...heading towards Lake Rotoroa

I have taken to calling the stream coming off the falls Waterfall Stream but actually it has no official name. It was quite pretty and as there are no farms or livestock in this area the water is probably perfectly fine to drink. 

Waterfall Stream passes along the end of the Braeburn Walk

The Waterfall Stream is off to the right...Braeburn Walk

Cascades in Waterfall Stream on the Braeburn Walk

The track meanders down the side of the hill passing through open areas of ferns on the way. There are some big Red Beech trees at this end of the forest and I would imagine they are 400-500 years old from their size. I stopped at one point by the side of the stream and had a snack and drink while watching the water cascade over the rocky stream bed...

Open area near Waterfall Stream...Braeburn Walk

Interior of a rotting red Beech Tree...Braeburn Walk

My rest spot near Waterfall Stream...Braeburn Walk

Eventually you reach a point where the track turns left and starts heading back out to the road-end. The Waterfall Stream continues down the hill and I imagine you could follow it all the way to Lake Rotoroa as that is its destination. Don't go bush bashing here without suitable skills as it would be super easy to get lost!!!

The Waterfall Stream continues down towards the lake...

Once you start down the track to the road you will be walking over flat terrain the whole way. You can see quite a long way down the track as it is level and straight. The forest is more open down here close to the lake edge...the lake is less than 200 meters away through the trees...

The Braeburn Walk turns left and heads for the road...

Some of these Red Beech trees here are enormous and there were also some big Rimu and scattered examples of Kahikatea as I made my way along the walkway...

Excellent example of a mature Red Beech Tree

The bush is thick alongside the Braeburn Walk

There are several places where you can see Lake Rotoroa through the trees...there is a large flat wetland between the track and the shore and it is covered with short reeds and grass so there is an unobstructed view. The lake was shining and glittering in the sun light and you could hear the occasional power boat tooling up and down...

Lake Rotoroa is just visible through the trees...

Muntz Range from the Braeburn Walk

I liked the esthetics of this fungus growing on an old fallen tree...it has taken advantage of the trees misfortune to stake a claim to some new and unoccupied territory. Nature is an amazing thing...

...interesting fungus on a fallen tree...

I was soon back at the junction of the Loop Track and walking back along the wide walkway towards the car and the end of the tramp. It was lovely and warm in the forest and if it had not been for the masses of Wasps I would have stopped for a while propped up against a tree and enjoyed the sounds of the forest. 

Jon passes the end of the loop track on the Braeburn Walk

From here to the carpark you are following the same track you came in on and I passed a pair of older women who were cycling down to the Loop Track junction. I had spotted them on SH6 just before the Gowan Valley Road turn off and they were cycling the Taste Trail around the Tasman Region. Nelson has become a MTB Mecca with some of the best rides in the country.

I am keen to get back into some long distance cycling...I brought myself a new MTB last year and it has seen little action so far. I was right into MTB riding before I got married and then lacked time to indulge. I would like to ride some trails like the Otago Rail Trail, Alps2Ocean, Taste Trail and Old Ghost Road. 

It was sunny and warm on the Braeburn Walk

Last view of the No Name Stream along the Braeburn Walk

This end of the Braeburn Walk is wide and well maintained...

I strolled back to the car park along the track on the wide track that runs from No Name Stream to the start of the walk. It is easy walking and if you were short of time even a walk down to the Loop Track junction would be a pleasant jaunt...

The track end is just visible in the distance...Braeburn Walk

A car has just passed along Braeburn Track...

It took me just over two hours to complete the Braeburn Walk but then I was taking a few photos and filming for the You Tube channel. I'm sure you could walk the complete track in less than one hour and thirty minutes if you just concentrated on walking. 

Back at the start of the Braeburn Walk on Braeburn Track

I really enjoyed this walk..the forest is beautiful and the track is a gentle walking surface which makes for an easy trip. The waterfall was interesting if not spectacular and you can take or leave that part of the track it if you are short of time. Spend some time sitting down by the Waterfall Stream...it was a lovely spot to contemplate life. 

Braeburn Range from further down the Braeburn Track

 I am pleased to have finally ticked the Braeburn Walk off my to do list and can thoroughly recommend it if you ever find yourself up near Lake Rotoroa. You could pair this walk with a visit to the Lake Rotoroa Nature Walk for a day of interesting tramping in the area. 

Just watch out for those Wasps...

Access: Turn off SH 6 at Gowanbridge and follow Gowan Valley Road for 11 kilometers to the edge of Nelson Lakes National Park. Turn right up Braeburn Track to the carpark about 400 meters from the road junction. There is space for half a dozen cars at the start of the track. 
Track Times: The Braeburn Walk is approximately 4 kilometers or 1.5-2 hours along a forest loop track. 

Miscellaneous: There is a toilet and day shelter at the Lake Rotoroa carpark. Take care if trying to access the basin at the base of the waterfall. Be prepared to fight off massive swarms of voracious sandflies. There are MANY Wasps here over summer..take care and carry anti histamine's with you. Do not follow the Lake Rotoroa Route to the Sabine Valley without suitable equipment and experience.  This is a remote area despite the short length of the tracks so be prepared for all eventualities.