Kings Track
Riverton · Southland · Out & Back
This walk comes from licensed public walk data and is being progressively confirmed against the authorities. Signs on the day always win. The rule-setter’s own wording: “Southland District Council's Dog Control Bylaw 2025 (in force 1 October 2025) shades Mores Scenic Reserve as a dog on lead area on its Schedule 2 Riverton map. Clause 8(a): "No person shall take a dog into any public place specified in Schedule 1 or 2 as an on-leash only area unless the dog is controlled on a leash." Signs at the Richard Street gate can change it”. Evidence: a hand-checked correction against the authority. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Keep them on the lead, watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Kings Track
Kings Track covers 1.0 km, near Riverton in Southland, walked as an out-and-back.
Kings Track shares the Richard Street gate with Hill Top Lookout Track and heads south-east through the bush of Mores Scenic Reserve for about 500 m before turning back. The whole reserve, including the block the track's far end reaches, is shaded as a dog on lead area on the Riverton map in Southland District Council's Dog Control Bylaw 2025, so the lead stays on from the gate to the turnaround and back. It is council reserve rather than DOC land, so no DOC permit applies. Ground-nesting birds live in the scrub near the far end, one more reason to keep the lead short there.
Graded easy, it climbs about 15 m overall, pitching up to 7 % at its steepest, and takes about 14 min to walk.
Along the way there are native forest, big views, and wildlife. Dogs are allowed here, on the lead. Walkers rate it 4.8 / 5 across 6 reviews.
