Cattle drinking from the lower reaches of the West Matukituki River about 2-3 miles up from Cameron Flat, where the east branch joins forces before flowing gently onwards to Lake Wanaka. Farming began in the valley in the 1870s, and today sheep, deer and cattle are seen grazing enroute into the Mount Aspiring National Park on the grassy river flats which are leasehold farm land.br/br/The West Branch of the Matukituki is arguably one of the most popular valleys in the Southern Alps. Located west of Lake Wanaka, the Matukituki Valley is a good entry point to an area of spectacular alpine scenery, snowfields, glaciers, sheer rock cliffs and waterfalls above the beech forest and grasslands.