The Lake Wilkie Walk is in the Catlins, 600 metres west of the Tautuku Bay Nature Walk in Tautuku Bay. A large parking area is on the side of the Southern Scenic Route, just past the access road to the Tautuku Outdoor Education Centre. The track takes 15 minutes each way, starting with a short flat forest walk to a view of Lake Wilkie, then a steep walk down to the lake's edge with a short loop boardwalk.
As with the nearby nature walk, it is rich in big podocarp trees, but the ancient rata trees are the most impressive forest feature. There are many of these gnarled, black-trunk ancients next to the track, and the crimson flowering in December and January is much easier to sport than the other forest walks around the lake lookout and the edge of the lake. The lake edge has a different ecosystem, dominated by mānuka, harakeke and other wetland grasses and shrubs.
A series of information panels explain the lake's formation and surrounding vegetation. The lake formed in a depression at the end of the last ice age over 10,000 years ago but has gradually shrunk to its present 1.7 hectares. It is only 1.5 metres deep - the dark colour is due to accumulating plant tannins and sediments. Eventually, the encroaching forest will take it over. In the meantime, try to visit on a calm day when the reflections from the boardwalk are superb.
Lake Wilkie is 31 km southwest of Owaka, and it takes about 30 minutes to get there.
