“On a Mish” #447 Unexpected Rain (Part One). Mavora Lakes Conservation Park. Southland. 31.1.2026. Rain is an inevitable unstoppable event that will happen whether you want it to or not. Even the driest places in the world get rain sometimes. However I am sure that when it happens in Arica, Chile (lowest rainfall on earth) it doesn’t just happen unexpectedly. When heading outdoors you normally aim to go when the skies are clear and the sun is out. But every now and then there will be a time when the heavens open without warning, and then you have to deal with some unexpected rain…
My craving to go camping gets to a point where the only way to suppress the need is to grab my camping gear and find a spot in paradise to spend the night. Luckily, I am in an excellent location where there are options to go camping, and they are right up there with the best places to pitch a tent on the planet. The toughest part of the adventure is deciding where I want to go!
Due to the fact that I have a four-legged sidekick who joins me on most of my outdoor adventures, my normal port of call is the Mavora Lakes. Stunning scenery and most importantly ‘Dog Friendly’, the place is just perfect for Georgie and me to explore and take in the serenity for a night or two. We have now spent 7 nights camping in the area during her two years of life / adventures, and Georgie is becoming very acquainted with the place.
The forecast was for a dry evening and then a weather change happening sometime during the afternoon of the next day. It seemed like the perfect scenario, and we will be long gone by the afternoon. So, to me the forecast was just perfect, hopefully I don’t encounter any unexpected rain to dampen our night out camping.
After locking in the plan, it was time to head east out of Te Anau and aim my wheels at the Mavora Lakes. The anticipation was building as we stirred up the dust on the gravel road to the park. It is awesome that in less than an hour we were rolling into the Mavora Lakes Park and faced with the enjoyable issue of ‘where do I put my tent in such an incredible location?’
After a few laps of the park’s roads, I decided that I wanted to hike to a spot well outside of the regular camping areas. After a small cruise around the camping ground, I pulled over and consulted the map to search for the perfect location. I spotted a series of large clearings at the base of Mt Campbell’s west face and pictured me pitching my tent somewhere close to the treeline.
I was in the right place, the weather was on my side, and I was now faced with the task of getting my gear up to my desired location. With the sun beaming down from above everything was looking perfect, lets hope that some unexpected rain doesn’t turn up to dampen our moods…
