“On a Mish” #401 Two Dogs, a Lake, And Te Whanau (Part One). Te Anau to South Mavora Lake Track. Mavora Lakes / Southland. 17.4.2024. When times are tough, having your whanau on your side can be lifesaving. I have no idea how I would have dealt with my hip and back without the help of my family, and I will be forever grateful. Over four years ago I could barely walk 100 metres without a break thanks to a fridge-door, and now I can go on adventures with my whanau if the hike isn’t too taxing. So, that leaves the question of where do two dogs and my whanau go for a mish…?
The Mavora Lakes are located between Queenstown and Te Anau and are far enough off the beaten track to give you the feeling of remoteness which is required if seeking true positive outdoor exposure (not hypothermia!). Another very good feature is the fact that you can take your favourite four-legged friends with you, and they can also enjoy the wild wilderness found around an hour’s drive from Te Anau.
I had the pleasure of my family coming down for a visit and because it was during the school holidays my niece and nephew joined my parents. The captain of the team of five was my parents’ dog Flora, four kgs of furry fury! Flora would be meeting Georgie (my dog) for the first time, and because Georgie hadn’t spent much time with other dogs, I wasn’t sure how the next couple of days would go. Hopefully there wasn’t going to be too much carnage and the two dogs would get along with each other.
With a distance of around 640km, the drive between my hometown of Christchurch and my new home town of Te Anau is a big one, and when you have a couple of little fellas with you, stops are crucial. Their long journey from Christchurch deserved a grand mission and, with the weather ruling out Fiordland, I had look further east for an outdoor adventure playground. I wanted somewhere where the dogs could also go, and after a quick weather check the Mavora Lakes looked like the place to be.
It was great to catch up with the team as they were such a big part of my recovery, and now it was time to return (a tiny bit of) the favour with a good mish. I was getting very excited when I heard they weren’t far from getting into town. There was going to be two dogs, a lake, and my whanau. The perfect recipe for a great day out…
