Beckoning Westland lakeside excursions

Press, 23 January 1988, Page 24

Beckoning Westland lakeside excursions

Bush-clad lakes always have a special quality. The bush seems to soothe the lake, giving it a placid, mysterious air, particularly in the evening as the call notes of the birds sound across the water. Apart from the Hans Bay settlement and a piece of rural land on the south-east corner, Lake Kaniere is completely surrounded by native forest and feels quite remote from the West Coast farmland that comes very close to it.

There are several picnic and walking areas around the lake, as well as some harder tramping tracks. Not every walk will be described in detail, just those the author thinks are particularly worthwhile. From Hokitika, it is about 20km to Lake Kaniere. The drive can be made into a scenic loop, following the road down the eastern side of the lake then over a low saddle into the Styx River and Kokatahi River catchments and back through flat

farmland to the main West Coast Highway. It is about a 60km round trip. The lakeside road is unsealed, twisty and at times very narrow. The Lake Kaniere Water Race Walkway parallels the Lake Kaniere road along the old water race and comes out just by the Information Centre. The centre is well laid out, with a good outlook up the lake, and there are picnic tables and a small grass area nearby. Canoe Cove Walk is about Ikm along from the centre. Sunny Bight is about a kilometre to the west of the Information Centre and is the most pleasant of all the picnic areas around the lake. The forest stands at the back of a small series of lawn areas with toilets, tables and car parks fronting on the lakeshore. Two tracks start from Sunny Bight. One is the Lake Kaniere Walkway, which follows the western edge of the lake. The other is the very short Kahikatea Forest Walk. This is a grand piece of forest, with the kahikatea sometimes appearing to be swathed from ground to canopy in thick moss. A grassy clearing halfway gives the scale of the trees, and the track is smooth, dry and suitable for all ages. There are several tracks on the eastern side. Mount Tuhua is more of a tramping track which reaches the tussock tops to overlook the lake. Dorothy Falls is a beauty of a waterfall, and there

is a short access track to the lakeside. The southern end of the Lake Kaniere Walkway is attractive, ambling through a luxuriant forest and climbing gently to a sort of spur “saddle,” then going on a bit further to a viewing platform over the lake. By continuing on the track and dropping down to the lakeshore, you can reach Lawyers Delight Hut (4 bunks, no mattresses), a tidy and gloomy hut with hardly any room for camping round it. The Mount Brown track is a really good tramping daytrip, or even an overnight tramp. From the Styx farmgate, follow the vehicle road upriver over farmland till it closes with the river. The route passes under a gravel cliff where the road has been eaten away, and then goes through an old vehicle cutting to a big side creek. A signpost here — indicates the route to Mount Brown hut. Travel up this untracked creek is generally good, with a couple of short track pieces to avoid rapids. The route climbs about 250 metres before prominent signs indicate the start of the track proper. This clambers up a steep spur for some 500 metres until it reaches the main bush ridge and Mount Brown hut. The hut is almost buried by the bush around it, though the helipad makes a sunnier lookout. There are three bunks and lots of floor space. No fire or stove, buf?a kerosene burner is provided. The track is well marked

onwards to the tussock line, with a gully hiccup interrupting an otherwise straightforward climb. A poled route continues through park-like country to the open tops where there are several tarns. The route sidles at a contant level, then drops down onto the top of a strong spur leading back to the lakeside road. Quite unexpectedly, there is a large tarn just on the scrub-bush edge, which at the time of visiting had some very fat tadpoles swimming in it. It’s a long, and at times greasy, descent down to the lake road. Altogether a very good round trip with excellent views overlooking the tops country beyond the Styx and Kokatahi Rivers, and of course the deep blue basin of Lake Kaniere. Lake Kaniere has camping areas at Hans Bay and Geologist Creek. Maps: Lake Kaniere S5B. Pamphlets: Lake Kaniere Scenic Reserve published by the Department of Conservation, is available from the Outdoor Recreation Information Centre. FOOTNOTE: Regarding a recent "On Foot” column on Molesworth, D. P. Graham of the Rainbow Station Partnership points out that the boundary of the Rainbow Station crosses the Electricity Departments road at the Tarndale area, approximately 15km or so from Island Saddle. A sign marks the boundary, and permission to enter Rainbow Station would be required beyond this point.