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Travel Itinerary:
How to Get to Blue Lake in Nelson Lakes National Park

Known to hold the clearest freshwater in the world, Blue Lake is a spectacular must-see destination in New Zealand. Here, Rico Pena explores some travel options for how to get to Blue Lake and get a glimpse of this incredibly clear water.

How to Get to Blue Lake, Clearest Freshwater in the World

I am drawn to unique natural wonders. So when I first heard about Blue Lake, known to hold the clearest freshwater in the world, I knew I had to visit.
Chris and I visited Blue Lake as a side-trip while we were completing the Travers-Sabine circuit in Nelson lakes National Park. While we were expecting clear water, we were both blown away by just how pristine the water actually was.
It was so clear that our cameras had a hard time adjusting. And clear enough that you not only want to sit and stare at the water, but you want to touch it too. However, the lake is protected. You cannot touch, drink or use the water in any way. You can merely watch from the shore. But trust me when I say a visit to Blue Lake will not disappoint, and is worth the trek.
Experience Nelson Lakes National Park
Getting there, though, will take some work. Tucked high in the mountains of the Nelson Lakes region, you will likely spend more than a few days of trekking to get to Blue Lake. However, we recommend taking your time, as the Nelson Lakes National Park is packed with mesmerising views, and scattered with cosy DOC (Department of Conservation) huts to spend the night in.

Here are three different ways on how to get to Blue Lake.

How to get to Blue Lake Chris looking up at the mountains that surround Blue Lake

Chris looking at Mount Franklyn from across Blue Lake

How to Get to Blue Lake Option 1:
Sabine Valley to Blue Lake Hut

Total Nights in Huts: 1 Hut Night

Total Days Hiking: 2 Days Hiking

This is the quickest way of casting your eyes on Blue Lake, with one night spent in Blue Lake Hut. This DOC Hut is unique, quaint, and welcoming, and only a five minute meander from the lake itself.
  • While this is the quickest way on how to get to Blue Lake, it also means two pretty long days on the trail. As the DOC times indicate, you will spend most of your day hiking and likely be quite tired by the time you reach the lake. The elevation gain is not insignificant, at 645 metres total. In addition, the path leading up to Blue Lake after West Sabine Hut is challenging, with loose stones and gravel from recent slips.
However, if you are determined on a short weekend trip, this is how to get to Blue Lake if you want to get in and out quickly.

Hiking Times

Day 1: 8.5 Hours

     Blue Lake Hut

Day 2: 7.5-8.5 Hours

How to Get to Blue Lake Option 2:
Sabine Valley with a Blue Lake Day Trip

Total Nights in Huts: 2 Hut Night

Total Days Hiking: 3 Days Hiking

When we visited over Easter 2023, we passed large groups of people trekking this option. It means staying in West Sabine Hut for two nights, with a day trip to Blue Lake on the middle day. This will lighten the load for the steep ascent to Blue Lake, as you’ll only need a day pack. However, you’ll also have a shorter time there than if you stay overnight at Blue Lake.

The only downside is that if the weather is terrible, the lake might not be as clear, and this option only allows one day to view the lake.

This is the best option for how to get to Blue Lake if you want shorter days and lighter packs.

Hiking Times

Day 1: 5 Hours

     West Sabine Hut

Day 2: 3.5 Hours

     West Sabine Hut

Day 3: 5 Hours

How to Get to Blue Lake Option 3:
Traverse-Sabine Circuit with Blue Lake Side Trip

Total Nights in Huts: 3 Hut Nights

Total Days Hiking: 4 Days Hiking

This was the route we took, taking in the best bits of the Travers-Sabine circuit as well as the stunning Blue Lake. We replaced the first and last days of the Travers-Sabine with water taxis, on Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa respectively, to make the tramp more doable in our time frame.
Starting with the water taxi on Lake Rotoiti, we hiked up the valley to Upper Travers Hut for the first night. Make sure to get a good night’s rest, as the next day is a steep one, over the Travers Pass to West Sabine Hut.
The ascent of the pass from Upper Travers Hut is relatively quick, but the descent from there to West Sabine Hut is relentlessly steep and somewhat endless. You could stop here for the night, but we chose to continue from West Sabine up the valley to Blue Lake Hut on the same day (it was a long one).

Hiking Times

Day 1: 7.5 Hours

     Upper Traverse Hut

Day 2: 6-9 Hours

     Blue Lake Hut

Day 3: 3.5 Hours

     West Sabine Hut

Day 4: 7.5-8.5 Hours

Tip: Water taxis can be taken on Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa to reduce walking time and save your legs.
Department of Conservation Huts How to get to Blue Lake Hut from Outside view from Mountain Wood Shed Department of Conservation Hut

Blue Lake Hut from the front

The long hike on day two meant that day three was a relaxed affair, and we had a lie in and a whole morning by the lake before pottering the three hours or so back to West Sabine Hut for our final night. The last day was a straightforward walk down the valley to Sabine Hut, on the shore of Lake Rotoroa, for our water taxi back to the car.
To make this option work in our time frame, we parked in Rotoroa on arrival and got a shuttle with Lake Rotoroa Water Taxis to St Arnaud. From here we got a water taxi to Lakehead Hut to start the tramp. Once we finished, Rotoroa Water Taxis picked us up from Sabine Hut and jetted us across the lake back to our car.
For a cheaper alternative you could arrive with two cars, parking one in Rotoroa and driving from there to St Arnaud to catch the first water taxi. Or if you’ve got more time, complete the full Travers-Sabine Circuit from St Arnaud with no need for shuttles.
Tip: Add on a side trip to Cupla Hut, a small quaint hut just on the cusp of the treeline with great sunset views. It adds a day to the trip, but it is well worth it if you have the time.
How to get to Blue Lake Blue Lake Crystal clear water of Blue Lake New Zealand

Regardless of how to get to Blue Lake, it is worth it to catch a glimpse of the crystal clear water

Experience Nelson Lakes National Park
How to get to Blue Lake is up to you, but without a doubt seeing it is worth the effort it takes to get there. While there are other ways on how to get to Blue Lake (i.e. from the South), accessing it via Sabine Valley is the easiest way. At 1,180 meters, Blue Lake is just below the tree line, so it is not a light day trip. However, taking it easy and going slow will really allow you to enjoy the beauty of Nelson Lakes and the surrounding mountains.
We have lots more practical suggestions for travel in New Zealand HERE.
Traverse Sabine Brochure 2022 from the Department of Conservation (DOC)
 Visited: April 2023