Ti kouka, the New Zealand cabbage tree, at Lake Hawea, Southern Lakes District. Roy Sinclair

Lake Hawea

Posted by Lynn Clayton in Queenstown and Southern Travel Stories
Tuesday, 4 April 2006

Hawea is many places to many people, some remember living there when the hydro dam was built, some recall carefree childhoods with long summer evenings and auroras that lit up the sky, some remember sailing on the lake and reeling in a lovely trout for dinner. Some have never been there yet!

Hawea Township sits alongside the Hawea River in the Upper Clutha Valley of Central Otago. It boasts a fuel stop, a dairy a pub and a small eatery.  Hawea Flat is the rural farming community boasting one small primary school and one small Presbyterian Church that still services the remote locality 100 years after being built. 

Hawea is the entire valley and flat land bordered by the rugged mountains on the north side of the lake to the rivers on the south. The area is slowly being discovered but  between you and me it is still idyllic. Property developers have started to notice this area; so don’t put off a visit to this special place, it won’t always be like this.

I am suggesting that this is ‘real’ New Zealand, a place worthy of a day or three on your visit “down under”. The hills are a gentle brown and appear bare, but on closer inspection there are red rosehip berries growing amongst the yellow Maori onions and native bush outcrops in the crooks and gullies. The rock outcrops covered in lichen add an art form of their own. If you are really lucky to be there after a snowstorm the entire mountain ranges are covered in snow down to the foothills and the valley takes on a magical surreal appearance.

Late in the 19th century several Scottish settlers arrived in this valley and commenced farming. Life was tough; roads were narrow cart tracks and the climate could be challenging. One of these settlers was John Cotton Farmer Rowley and he settled on a property known as Lake Hawea Station in 1912, overlooking the vast valley and expansive lake. John planted many trees and hired an English landscape designer by the name of Alfred Buxton to design the homestead garden. Today the entrance is through a magnificent stand of gum trees.

Garden tours are available by arrangement.  He married and sent his seven children by horse and buggy to the Hawea primary school and later he sent them away to boarding schools. There have been many changes in the district since then - farming methods have changed dramatically and crops of sunflowers and lavender now grow alongside the traditional Lucerne hay. Self-sown Californian poppies create a picturesque landscape for the photographer along with the wild blue lupins on the lake edge. A favourite childhood past time is skipping the flat smooth stones far out into the blue waters of the lake on a still evening. I find the lake cold to swim in myself, but I believe there are pockets of warm water scattered along the lake edge. The locals know these swimming spots so watch them for an indication.

The descendants of the Rowley family still own the property. They farm here but they also appreciate the uniqueness of the area and welcome visitors to stay a night or three. Some families return every summer. You can stay in the old renovated musterers quarters, the only noise likely to wake you would be a dog barking with excitement at the prospect of a days mustering. These cottages are fully self contained and very charming.

You may be able to see sheep shearing or farm work being carried out on the station You can walk along the lake edge and enjoy the view, daydream, listen to the larks singing on a hot summer afternoon. You could be energetic and walk up to the saddle; the views are spectacular. You can ride a mountain bike if that appeals more; take your own, as there is no local hire available. You can sit on the edge of the lake and daydream, or you can cast a line and perhaps catch a wonderful rainbow or a brown trout. You need a licence to fish.

Fly-fishing is also an option as is the 9-hole golf course; hunting trips for Thar and Chamois are available in the district. There are several places to camp and there are bed and breakfasts such as the cosy Matagouri Cottage named after a prickly shrub common on the rugged hillsides.

Technology has changed greatly the way we live in the cities, but at Hawea it is easy to imagine the old days. There are no high-rise buildings or shopping centres, no movie theatres, no airports, no trains trams or buses. Well sometimes a school bus may be spotted.  Cell phones are seldom heard and good food and conversation prevail.

In winter it is 60 minutes to the ski fields near Wanaka, 20 minutes to Wanaka town where you can take in a movie, have an espresso and generally be amidst the hustle and bustle of a busy township or you can laze about reading a book and soaking up the peace. An airfield services Wanaka with flights from Christchurch if you prefer to fly into the region. I personally recommend you drive - the scenery is spectacular.

Post a comment

 *  *    *  *

Fields marked with  * are required.