Sugar Loaf – Rockburn Waitangi Weekend

Trip Report: Sugar Loaf – Rockburn – Lake Sylvan, Waitangi Weekend 2026

Waitangi Weekend offered our group three days to explore the magnificent Rockburn Valley at the head of Lake Wakatipu, so three members set off at 2pm on Thursday from Oamaru, arriving at Lake Sylvan DOC camping ground at 7.30pm. This campsite along the Routeburn River offers scenic, well-arranged, partially secluded sites with toilets and running water.
Next morning we drove to the Routeburn shelter (after Jenny had hidden her bike under piles of bracken for the return trip) and were ready to set off walking by 8am. 10 minutes along the Routeburn Track we followed a signpost pointing uphill to the Sugar Loaf Track; it was a steep and steady climb for 2.5 hours to the boggy Sugarloaf Saddle, from where we had superb views across to the Humboldt Mountains, Lake Wakatipu, the Dart River and the Mt Earnslaw massif. Then it was a steep scramble down to the Rockburn River, using rocks and branches for handholds, crossing creeks and waterfalls through the mossy beech forest. The track is well marked and clear of windfall. From Sugar Loaf it took us 4 hours to walk to the wide, open and sunny grasslands of Theatre Flat. Walking over the swing bridge across the Rockburn to Theatre Flat was interesting: I didn’t notice there were no wire netting sides until I was halfway across! With a strong Nor’west blowing, we found a sheltered spot to camp by a copse of beech, right by the river. The Rockburn is a beautiful fast flowing river with a clear green tinge, rushing over boulders and forming deep pools.
Our plan for the middle day, Saturday, was to climb up to Park Pass and back to camp, so we set off at 8.15am and were pleased to find the route well marked in the bush and over the grassy flats. After two hours walking with rain thickening and cloud lowering over Park Pass, we decided it best to return to camp for lunch. The walk out to Lake Sylvan was going to be a long 18km over roots and slippery rocks, so we decided to pack up our tents and head 4km down river to some grassy flats we had admired on the way in. By mid afternoon all three of us were snuggling into our sleeping bags and boiling up hot drinks to stave off the wet and cold.
After a night of heavy rain, we woke to see mist clearing from the mountains, so we shook the rain from our tents and were on the Rockburn track again by 7.30am, bypassed the Rockburn hut in bright sunshine, and stopped for lunch enroute to Lake Sylvan at 12 noon. The track remains rough around the Lake, but at the foot of the Lake we joined the gravelled highway back to the magnificent new bridge and carpark. Robbie found the leafy old track back to the river, so he and Jenny took this shortcut and crossed the Routeburn River opposite the carpark.
Back to the camping ground by 2.30pm, Jenny hopped on her bike, biked for about 30 minutes up to the car at the Routeburn shelter carpark, then picked up Di and Robbie back at camp. We were away home by 3.30pm.
Thanks to Robbie and Di for a fabulous exploration of the beautiful Rockburn Valley, in all weathers!
Jenny Kitchin