I knew the view would be worth it,
but the uphill grind was hard-going and my legs were not feeling up to the job! Thankfully that feeling didn’t last long.
Ben Ohau peak had been on my radar for a long time and finally during early winter, I found the perfect day to explore its lofty slopes.
The track to Ben Ohau is accessed via the Greta Track, which is an excellent 16km loop which starts and ends on Glen Lyon road. It can also be accessed via several entry points into the Ben Ohau Range from nearer the Twizel end of Glen Lyon Road - this is better for mountain biking entry points. The scramble up to Ben Ohau peak is a short deviation off the saddle at point 1387, and is well worth the extra 20 minute round trip, just for the views alone. Incredible views across the entire length of Lake Ohau can be gained from this point along with views out to Lake Pukaki and towards the south.
The south-western flanks of Ben Ohau dive steeply into Lake Ohau, giving one a dizzying perspective when surveying the surrounding landscape - its a popular spot for hunters of Thar and provides a perfect habitat for them (for the Thar too…).
Allow 3-4 hours to peak-out Ben Ohau if just doing an out and back style walk from the first Greta Track car park, or 6-7 hours if doing the full loop (watch the streams after rain or during snow melt as they can get a bit gnarly).
The image shown above was taken from the shores of Lake Ohau on Lake Ohau road, looking directly across to Ben Ohau and can be purchased from my SHOP as a digital download that you can have printed any which way you wish.