Jack’s Point vs Kelvin Peninsula, Queenstown
Screenshots of the NZ topographic map are licensed as CC BY 4.0 by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).
The Kelvin Peninsula (north) and Jack’s Point (south) are two endpoints of the long Jack’s Point Track, on the eastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, south of Queenstown, Otago, South Island. I’ve done a short portion of the walk from both trailheads, so I can compare them.
Jack’s Point is more like a short hike. Over the course of around 1.5 hours, I gained more than 100 meters of elevation, before descending somewhat to reach cliffs overlooking the lake, then returning the same way. Hiking boots are worthwhile if not essential.
The Kelvin Peninsula is more of a stroll, although it does have some uneven ground and a bit of elevation gain. Footwear doesn’t matter as much. It is a loop.
If 1 is an easy track, and 4 is using hands and feet on exposed rocks, I give Jack’s Point a 2 in general. I give the Kelvin Peninsula a 2 for a short stretch (at the southernmost red-colored stretch on my topomap screenshot), but Kelvin Peninsula is overwhelmingly a 1.