The dawns warm and breezy but cloudy, today we go up to Lake Coleridge, sealed road to the village, makes a change from the gravel road and dust. The village is on the banks of the Rakaia River alongside the historic Lake Coleridge Power station, 165m below Lake Coleridge. It was built between 1911-1914. The village is surrounded by mature trees, an arboretum created by Harry Hart, the first tree planted in 1933, with more than 200 plant and tree specimens. We wander through to the cemetry amongst the old man pines once again history is told in the headstones. We leave the village and skirt round the hills heading towards Lake Coleridge, stunning vistas all around majestic hills, ranges, small lakes, as the long winding gravel road heads west towards the Wilberforce River. We arrive at road end drink in the scenery before us, sadly a howling Nor West prevents Shane putting up the drone to get some aerial perspective of the beauty around us. The stations up this valley must have it tough surrounded by rivers and one can imagine the volume water that must come down these braided rivers when it pours in the back country. Lake Coleridge is fed by the Harper and Wilberforce rivers through diversion canals.
On our return journey we diverted up to Lake Lyndon following the Acheron River up towards the glacial lake surrounded by Korowai/Torlesse tussocklands, maximum depth is only 18 meters. Plentiful rainbow trout inhabit the lake, also resident crested Grebes. We enjoy a picnic lunch also soaking up the majestic scenery sorrounding us. We head back down the way we came. Another must do ticked off, it certainly is worth making time to get into these isolated gems.
