“On a Mish” #412 Lakeside Retreat (Part One). North Mavora Lake. Mavora Lakes Conservation Park. 20.8.2024. Te Anau is a place of many dogs with surroundings they are not allowed to visit. Both Fiordland and the Takitimu Range are place only highly educated dogs may visit with permits prearranged with the Department of Conservation. My precious pooch has only graduated preschool and must do some more training before she can be given permission to enter into anywhere that needs a permit. Lucky only 70km from my doorstep is a little lakeside retreat where both myself a my four-legged friend can explore…
When my last dog Ernie passed away, I went some time without the comfort of an animal companion. Luckily for a while I was able to hang out with my folk’s dogs Flora, but after moving back down to Te Anau I realised I needed to have a K9 sidekick and after with that Georgie was added to my team, and what an addition she has become!
Back in Christchurch I had the 60,000-hectare Hakatere Conservation Park to play in with Ernie. The dog friendly playground is perfect for both dogs and the humans that feed them to camp in, and during Ernie’s short life we went on many a mish armed with tent and everything else needed for a night out. Down in Te Anau we (Georgie & me) have a slightly smaller recreational retreat, but in no way is it less appealing than the conservation park I have visited many, many times.
The Mavora Lakes are only a short drive from my home, and they offer hikes and also places to spend the night in the form of a huge camping ground, and tracks that lead up the valley to numerous huts. I have always enjoyed my Mavora area missions, but the place usually is put aside when I have Fiordland at my fingertips. Now that Georgie has enter the picture, I know for sure I will be basing many mishes around the Mavora Lakes.
With the weather and days off work aligning I gathered gear and ‘Good-Girl’ and together we headed off east on State Highway 94 towards the Mavora Lakes turn-off. The day before snow had closed the road over Gorge Hill, meaning the many tourists heading towards Te Anau were denied access to the place I call home. I was somewhat nervous about what I would encounter, however after ten minutes or so I could see that the snow had retreated up high in the hills. I wasn’t going to be reaching for my snow chains on this outing.
After turning off the main road and hitting the dust of the road north up to the lakes I began to feel the remote feeling of being alone. A while back I stayed at the Mavora Campsite with my bro Mark and on that night, we squeezed into a very busy lakeside retreat and had to deal with noisy neighbours who did their best to prevent us from getting any sleep. Now on this mish I was rolling through a completely empty area which knew well but had never seen it in a deserted state, I’m guessing that’s thanks to the snow.
The stage was set for an epic adventure involving a big lake and my little best friend. Ironically, even though the camping ground was completely empty, I decided to venture outside of the campsite and find my own little piece of paradise under the eastern reaches of Mt Eldon…
