Lauder Basin Conservation Area
Located in the Otago region
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Introduction
Lauder Basin is around 9,000 ha of stunning high country set in the Dunstan Mountains.It has an interesting mix of terrain including rocky outcrops, woody gorges, open tussock land, alpine cushion fields and tor studded alpine tops.
The Lindis Valley altitude rises from 300 m to 1,500 m and this provides captivating views of the Manuherikia and Central Otago to the Upper Clutha and on a fine day as far away as Mt Aspiring/ Tititea and Aoraki/ Mt Cook.
Find things to do and places to stay Lauder Basin Conservation Area
Public vehicle access to Lauder Basin Conservation Area is via easements on Lauder and Cluden Stations. The easements are across private land and the lands bordering the conservation area are working high country stations.
The Lauder Station easement allows for motor vehicle use only, motorcycles and all terrain vehicles are not permitted.
There are conditions for motorised vehicle access, make sure you read these and are familiar with conditions specific to each easement.
Applicant's name and vehicle details will be provided to the Station holders.
Get the padlock code
Contact either the Mt Aspiring National Park Visitor Centre +64 3 443 7660, the Alexandra Office +64 3 440 2040 or complete the online form below for the code to the padlocks to get 4WD access along the easements.
Online application for padlock codes.
Once your form has been processed, you will receive an email with the code to the padlocks. If you don't go into the conservation area immediately, the padlock code may change.
Where you can drive
Access is restricted to formed tracks: Lauder Basin Conservation Area map (PDF 1,129K)
Public vehicle access is restricted to the drier summer periods between 1 December to 30 April, but can be closed anytime within this period to avoid damage to the tracks. This can be due to safety risks, weather conditions, threats to conservation or track damage.
Vehicles are not permitted on the Lauder and Cluden Station easements between 8 pm and 7 am.
Because of the terrain and distances involved, horse trekking is potentially one of the best ways to appreciate the expansive features and sheer vastness of the Lauder Basin landscapes.
Horse gates are not provided; riders need to obtain the code for the locked gates.
How do I get the padlock codes?
For access from Cluden Creek Carpark or Lauder Station Road, complete the online form for the code to the padlocks along the easements.
Once your form has been processed, you will receive an email with the code to the padlocks. If you don't go into the conservation area immediately, the padlock code may change.
For access via other entry points, contact the Mt Aspiring National Park Visitor Centre +64 3 443 7660.
There are two main public entry points to the Lauder Basin Conservation Area and access is via easements (crossing private land).
- Access from the east is through Lauder Station. From SH85 heading towards St Bathans, turn on to Loop road, then turn on to Lauder Station road. The car park is on the right before the end of Lauder Station road.
- Access from the west is though Cluden Station. From SH8 between Tarras and Lindis Valley, turn on to Cluden Creek Rd. The first car park is the Cluden Quarry Car Park and 8 km further along Cluden Creek road is a second car park called the Cluden Creek Car Park.
Locked gates
At both the Lauder and Cluden Station car parks there are locked gates. For horse riding or 4WD activities you will need the code for the padlocks. How to get padlock codes.
Weather
- In summer very hot and dry conditions are common. Carrying an adequate supply of both drinking water and sun protection is essential.
- In winter, mountaineering experience is required along with knowledge of avalanche conditions. Be prepared.
Access is by easements (crossing private land)
- These tracks cross and border private land. Respect livestock and property, ensure gates are left as you found them and that, where provided, stiles are used.
- The Lauder access easement is closed annually for lambing and calving from 20 September to the Thursday prior to Labour weekend inclusive.
- The Lauder and Cluden easements are closed to 4WD vehicles 1 May to 30 November annually.
- The easement across Lauder Station allows for 4WD motor vehicle use only, motor cycles and all terrain vehicles are not permitted.
- Vehicles are not permitted on the Lauder and Cluden Station easements between 8 pm and 7 am.
Camping, dogs and fire
- Camping is permitted on conservation land only. Camping on the access easements or in the car parks is not permitted.
- Dogs are permitted in the conservation area but must be confined in a vehicle at all times on the Lauder and Cluden easement tracks.
- Fires are not permitted.
There may be avalanche danger
Avalanches usually occur from May to November in Wakatipu, Wānaka and Central Otago. There can also be avalanches outside this period, if there is still snow coverage.
If you are going into avalanche terrain, always:
- Have the relevant avalanche skills and training.
- Check the ATES rating and the New Zealand Avalanche Advisory.
- Go with a buddy. Both of you should carry and know how to use an avalanche transceiver, a snow shovel and a probe.
Lauder Station
The documented history of Lauder Station is one of farming, gold mining and coal mining. A coal pit, water races and sluicing remnants from gold mining demonstrate the varying activities which took place on the lease during the 19th century.
The original station purchased by William Davy and Edmund Bowler in 1858, was much larger than today as they also purchased an adjoining station - collectively they were known as Omakau Station comprising 90,960 acres (36,778 ha). Omakau Station changed owners in 1859 and in 1866 the property was split back into the original two stations.
The property changed hands several times from 1867 till the lease for Lauder ceased in 1882 at which time it was divided into five new stations for auction - the station in its current form containing the freehold land and farm buildings was retained by the sellers Handyside and Roberts syndicate until 1883.
The gold mining and related water races near the homestead represent the western extent of the rich gold field deposits which ran from St Bathans, to Vinegar Hill, Cambrians and then to Lauder. The apparent brief mining at the Lauder sluicings possibly signifies the outer limits of the easily mined alluvial gold in this area.
A coal pit. possibly dated as early as the 1870s, shows that gold was not the only precious local resource sought by the early settlers. Coal/lignite deposits were also sought by miners prospecting for gold.
The twelve-stand woolshed, smithy and cook shop, built around 1871, have been well maintained and preserved and are fantastic examples of early 19th century Otago pastoral structures. The registration of these buildings by the Historic Places Trust illustrates the importance of Otago’s early settler history. These buildings are not open to the public but can be viewed from the access easement.
Cluden
The history of Cluden early pastoralists is similar to that of Lauder.
After surveyor Thompson passed through the Lindis region on his way to Lake Hawea in 1857, Scotsman John McLean, guided by Huruhuru from the Waitaki, crossed the Lindis Pass in 1858 in search of grazing land.
As a result of this search, four grazing licences were leased to McLean, his two brothers and his sister and the 35,200 acre property became known as Morven Hills Station.
In 1874 the property was sold and in the 1880s, parts of the original Morven Hills run were relinquished from the lease. In 1910 the bulk of Morven Hills was broken up into more than 20 smaller runs, Cluden being one of these.
Though the wider Lindis region was of significance to Māori with the Lindis Pass as an important route between the Waitaki and Clutha valleys, little physical evidence remains of early Māori in this region. A fire stick (fire plough), found in the remains of a Māori shelter on Cluden Station, now resides in the Otago Museum.
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 |