Explore the Dune Lake at Ship Creek
Ship Creek is an easy but memorable stop along State Highway 6 in South Westland, the South Island. Dune Lake Walk is a short loop track that lets you explore this stunning, remote coastal landscape, ending with views over Dune Lake and the long, golden sands that stretch about 90 km down the coast to Jackson Bay.
Rainforest and Sand Dunes
The coastline at Ship Creek is raw and elemental, facing the Tasman Sea with long views north and south. What makes the Dune Lake Walk different is what lies behind the dunes: a rare freshwater dune lake, circled by wind-sculpted harakeke (flax) and dense lowland forest. On calm days, the lake's reflections are almost glassy, a striking contrast to the ocean just 100 metres away.
Explore the Dune Lake Walk
The Dune Lake Walk is around. 1 km and takes about 30 minutes, with a loop back along the beach. The walk starts from the Ship Creek visitor shelter and follows a boardwalk that threads behind the dunes. You’ll enter a stretch of coastal kahikatea forest, stunted and twisted by salt-laden winds, before reaching a raised viewing platform. From here, the dune lake spreads out in front of you, bordered by wetland plants and flax that blooms red in summer. Panels explain how this landscape formed and why it's so rare on the West Coast.
The loop continues to a second viewpoint above the beach, where you’ll get an elevated view down the coast. To the left, you’ll spot the lake behind the dunes; to the right, the beach runs uninterrupted towards the Haast River mouth and Jackson Bay. From here, you can return via the beach.
How to get there
Ship Creek is located off State Highway 6, about 20 km north of Haast and 95 km south of Fox Glacier. Look for the signposted turnoff on the seaward side of the road.
Also accessible from Ship Creek is the equally wonderful Swamp Forest Walk. To the south, accessible from the highway, make time for a stop at Lake Moeraki and the Monro Beach Walk to Monro Beach for penguin spotting in Spring and Summer. Heading north, stop at the Haast River Bridge Lookout for views of the river and Haast Beach.
