Pearl Harbour return via Circle Track
Alerts
Check the DOC website for current alerts and conditions before you go. This site gets current alert info from DOC, but is not an official source of information.
This tramping track takes you on a pleasant, half-day walk through beech forest near Manapouri, to a hill viewpoint overlooking the lake.
Elevation
Cover mapped summer 2023/24.
Description
From the jetty on the other side of the Waiau River, follow the riverside track for 15 minutes to a track junction. Turn left and head up the hill to the view point overlooking the lake.
This part of the track is rather steep and slippery so you will need to take care. The track then descends down the ridgeline to the Hope Arm Track.
Turn right to return to Pearl Harbour which takes about one hour.
Robins, tomtits, tūī and bellbirds are abundant in the mixed beech and podocarp forest.
This track can be combined with the Hope Arm or Back Valley Hut tracks for longer or overnight options.
Getting there
This track starts and finishes at Pearl Harbour, Manapouri, Fiordland.
To get to the start of the track you need to cross the Waiau River. There are water taxis available in the summer season.
To get to Manapouri from Te Anau (21 km, 20 minutes drive), follow the Manapouri - Te Anau Highway.
The wharf at Pearl Harbour is 500 m past the shops on Waiau St, and the carpark is accessed from View St (left turn south of shops).
Weather
Forecast at the start of the track