A RUN, DIP AND LAKE LIFE TO START 2025

Stretching a 3.5km loop trail out to 8km around the Queenstown Golf Course on the Kelvin Heights Peninsula with beautiful mountain views and surrounds of Lake Wakatipu.

The lake is alive in the summer. In the last hour alone, I’ve witnessed a Border Collie take his first swim - at first unsure of the cold water and gulping the air around him, then later jumping straight in - and a lady on a paddle board lose her footing, along with her sunglasses. She maintains that she was caught off by “a wave”…  But something else has caught my eye just now: a small powered boat, nose facing 60 odd degrees in the air, battling through the water in an effort to tow a very enthusiastic surfer who’s pursuant in riding a shortboard on the wake of said boat. Genius or plain dumb (and fucking funny), you decide.

I’m watching all this post run and plunge, perched on a rock looking out to Queenstown, feet dangling in the water, the sun shining above.

It’s a bit of a personal tradition to go for a run and some kind of dip on New Year’s, and today is 1st January. Last year, this happened for me on a chilly winter’s day on the South Coast of England. This year it’s hot, breezy and summertime in Queenstown, Aotearoa NZ. Little disclaimer: I’m not “a runner”. But I do enjoy a run now and again. I’m really enjoying it at the moment, with a non-negotiable that there’s somewhere to have a splash about too.

This is the 18th day in a row that I’ve covered a part of the Queenstown Trail network. I’ve run around the Old Historic Bridge, Shotover and Arrowtown over the last few days, but this morning’s loop has to be my favourite so far.

Today's 8km starts from the Kelvin Heights Trail, up to and around the Kelvin Heights Peninsula, then doubling back at the road, all the while surrounded with views boasting Walter Peak, The Remarks and Queenstown. The trail runs in and out of woodland alongside the lake, bordering the golf course and is very popular with other runners, cyclists and of course golfers - so it's likely you'll likely bump into a friendly face. Just dodge the golf balls! Rounding the run off with a (very) refreshing dive into crystal clear waters off one of the platforms is, in my biased opinion, friggen awesome. Sipping fresh coffee sitting on the dock of the bay afterwards is *chef's kiss*.

If you’re curious to see what the views look like, or happen to be in the area and thinking of running this loop, feel free to give the video below a watch.

That’s it for my first post on the Sports Nut Soph blog. Thanks for stopping by, and Happy New Year! Until next time g’day, ciao for now, Soph.

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Read more about the track at Queenstown NZ, Alltrails and Queenstown Trails.

A pup called Duke taking his first swim (and yes, actually named Duke after the surfer. What a champ).