Mirror Lakes Walk
Milford Road, Fiordland National Park
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Marios Gavalas
Author And Researcher
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Nau mai, haere mai
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Information
Mirror Lakes Walk
400 m return | 10 minutes return
Mirror Lakes obviously take their name from the clarity and stillness of water in the early morning. On still days the water’s surface is glassy smooth and reflects perfectly the Earl Mountains and flax bordering the lakes.
Walking Track
Timing
There’s a large parking area on the roadside, which between 9.30 am and 11.30 am is thronged with coaches disgorging their clients onto the walkway. Best arrive early in the morning to benefit from the still conditions and avoid the crowds in a hurry to get to their Milford cruise and return to Queenstown.
Access
Mirror Lakes are signposted 57 km from Te Anau along the Milford Road.
Track
The walkway was reopened in December of 2005 and is a showpiece construction in DoC’s portfolio. Colourful and informative interpretation panels have been designed to impart the maximum amount of information, not just on the Mirror Lakes, but on the work of the glaciers and ecosystems of the Eglinton Valley.
Geology
A clever DoC sign is written in mirror writing so that when the lakes area absolutely calm, the word ‘Mirror Lakes’ appears readable in the reflection on the water.
The gin-clear pools are actually the abandoned course of the Eglinton River, as it weaves along the flat base of the glaciated valley.
The Eglinton Valley is around 40 km long and is a classic glaciated U-shaped valley with broad grassy river flats and a meandering braided river. The beech forest borders the valley floor, but does not extend into it because of the severe frosts encountered in winter. The valley floor was farmed from 1859 as part of Te Anau Downs Station and has only recently reverted back to a more natural form.
Fauna
The lakes are home to New Zealand scaups, long-finned eels and kokopu.
During the summer months, life is prolific, with myriad bird species exploiting the productive forest edge for insects. The area is known for its population of mohua or yellow head and bats. Intensive predator control measures are being implemented by DoC to preserve these rare remnant populations. Other significant populations include South Island kaka, South Island robins, New Zealand falcons, and yellow-crowned parakeets.
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
DOC FiordlandCentral government organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Milford Sound - Fiordland National Park |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
Walking
Nearby
Reviews
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3.0/5
Try to visit late morning or late afternoon when you don't have to compete with the masses of people coming off the tour buses.
Beautiful scenery but the weed in the lake is starting to get closer to the sign. Only a short stop but worth it
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2.0/5
This stop was a big let down.
The "walk" is only two minutes long. The lakes are right next to the road, not very peaceful and we've seen a handful of lakes with way more impressive reflections than this one throughout our NZ trip.
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4.0/5
Nice short walk along the Mirror Lakes.
Very nice to see the reflection of the mountains in the lakes.
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4.0/5
Beautiful to see the mountains in the 'mirror' of the lake.
We spent 30 minutes there.
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3.5/5
Peaceful stop on this spot for taking a break.
The water was quiet and mountains mirrored there.
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2.5/5
A short walk to stretch your legs, worth a visit to take a couple of pictures by the driftwood letters.
But it is not the kind of beach to take a swim or sunbathe, plus it is windy.
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3.5/5
Short walk and very easy.
On a sunny day I suppose you could see the mirror, but it was raining and it was impossible to see any reflection into the small lakes.
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4.0/5
Neat walk in Fiordland.
Has to be a clear, calm day to get a good reflection in the water. Worth stopping for. Big tourist spot so time it well.
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4.5/5
Wonderful views over the mountains and valleys.
The reflections of the mountain range and peaks in the Mirror Lakes were exceptional.
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4.5/5
You drive through the woods, mountains, next to beautiful lakes - the Homer Tunnel was very scary.
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5.0/5
Awesome - one of my favourite places.
Really lucky as the weather was perfect and I could see perfectly the mirror effect!
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3.0/5
Try to visit late morning or late afternoon when you don't have to compete with the masses of people coming off the tour buses.
Beautiful scenery but the weed in the lake is starting to get closer to the sign. Only a short stop but worth it
-
2.0/5
This stop was a big let down.
The "walk" is only two minutes long. The lakes are right next to the road, not very peaceful and we've seen a handful of lakes with way more impressive reflections than this one throughout our NZ trip.
-
4.0/5
Nice short walk along the Mirror Lakes.
Very nice to see the reflection of the mountains in the lakes.
-
4.0/5
Beautiful to see the mountains in the 'mirror' of the lake.
We spent 30 minutes there.
-
-
2.5/5
A short walk to stretch your legs, worth a visit to take a couple of pictures by the driftwood letters.
But it is not the kind of beach to take a swim or sunbathe, plus it is windy.
-
3.5/5
Peaceful stop on this spot for taking a break.
The water was quiet and mountains mirrored there.
-
3.5/5
Short walk and very easy.
On a sunny day I suppose you could see the mirror, but it was raining and it was impossible to see any reflection into the small lakes.
-
4.0/5
Neat walk in Fiordland.
Has to be a clear, calm day to get a good reflection in the water. Worth stopping for. Big tourist spot so time it well.
-
4.5/5
Wonderful views over the mountains and valleys.
The reflections of the mountain range and peaks in the Mirror Lakes were exceptional.
-
4.5/5
You drive through the woods, mountains, next to beautiful lakes - the Homer Tunnel was very scary.
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5.0/5
Awesome - one of my favourite places.
Really lucky as the weather was perfect and I could see perfectly the mirror effect!
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2.5/5
Stop here if you need to stretch your legs.
Small mirror lake area, nothing special after our visit to Lake Matheson.
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5.0/5
Not to be missed.
An incredible site. Best to go early morning/late evening to avoid the tourist buses. Plenty of viewing area.
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4.5/5
Exploring all the marked attractions - such as Mirror Lakees, chasm etc en route to Milford - and then of course the tunnel just before Milford.
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5.0/5
I was there on April.
Love it !! Crystal clear lake. Killer view due to the weather was great . Such a perfect day ^_^
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0.5/5
Pathetic pond, not very mirrored, only 2 mins from carpark but not worth the stop!
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