“On a Mish” #437 When the Stars Align (Part Two). North Mavora Lake Track / Mavora Lakes Camping Ground. Mavora Lake Conservation Reserve. Southland. 19.7.2025. Fate can be funny sometimes. Imagine you are driving along a quiet road and the only car you see is one that you must wait for. If you were faster or slower, you would have missed the car and had no issues turning. Life hands us cards to play with and sometimes we have a good deal, and sometimes not so good. It just reminds us that when the stars align and the weather / conditions are perfect you really need to make the most of it because it isn’t always this good!
We found a spot on the upper terrace of the camping ground which had an excellent view of North Mavora Lake and the Livingstone Range on the opposite side of the lake. Georgie was very excited to jump out of the car and explore a different area as she had been on a mish to South Mavora Lake when she was just a little puppy. It is awesome that you can bring you four legged friends to the area so they can get in on the fun as well.
As the day drifted away, we set up camp and then did a little exploring around the camping ground, and a little of the way up the track to the Greenstone Valley (Te Araroa Trail). With the huge campsite near empty, we were able to enjoy the place with peace and quiet. Georgie was in her element with smells galore to sniff out, and a huge area to run around in. It is amazing to have such a cool area that is dog friendly so close to Te Anau (less than an hour’s drive), I can always tell that I will be back again even before the mish has finished.
After following the trail for a while and taking in the reflections on North Mavora Lake, we headed back for some dinner and to ready ourselves for the show that would be happening above our heads. Clear skies meant plenty of stars, and it was one of those nights when the display seemed to get better and better. The lack of light pollution means the nights sky is about as good as it can get in Aotearoa, and like everything on this trip they aligned perfectly in the sky above our camp.
It would seem that the stars had aligned both in the sky and for our stay in paradise. If we had gone the day before we would have been camping in the rain, and if we were a little later then we would also be stuck in the rain as the days either side of our outing were wet ones. Absolutely perfect conditions for camping were only available on that night. We couldn’t have time it any better!
