Kinvara Road
Located in Rock and Pillar Conservation Area in the Otago region
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Introduction
This 4WD road takes you to the tops of the Rock and Pillar Range.This 4WD road climbs 1000 m of elevation along numerous switchbacks to the top of the Rock and Pillar Range – reaching 1350 m above sea level.
Leaning Lodge Hut (closed until further notice) is accessible via a 1 km return side trip shortly before the top.
From the end of the Kinvara Road it is possible to keep going up to Summit Rock and along the Rock and Pillar Ridge Road until the Old Dunstan Road (a further 15 km or 4 hr one way).
The track starts from Kinvara Station, off SH87, about 9 km north of Middlemarch and just south of Lug Creek.
Kinvara Road is suitable for 4WD vehicles. Vehicles must keep to the road to preserve the environment.
Weather: The Rock and Pillar Conservation Area is very exposed and subject to extreme temperatures – hot and dry in summer, freezing cold and covered in snow in winter.
Avalanches: Avalanche terrain is classified as 'simple' at the northern end of the Rock and Pillar Range and on the tops, and 'complex' on the eastern faces. If you plan to be in this area in winter or spring be avalanche alert.
Private property: The Kinvara Road passes through a deer farm before reaching the conservation area at 900 m above sea level. Fawns are present from mid-November to mid-December – it is recommended that you use an alternative access route to the Rock and Pillar Conservation Area during this time.
Leaning Lodge Hut is closed until further notice. For further information contact the Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club: otmc@ihug.co.nz.
Contacts
| Wānaka Tititea/Mount Aspiring National Park Visitor Centre | |
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| Phone | +64 3 443 7660 |
| wanakavc@doc.govt.nz | |
| Address | 1 Ballantyne Road Wānaka 9305 |
| Hours | Visitor centre hours and services |