Ashburton Lakes – Lake Heron, Moari Lakes and Lake Emily |

ASHBURTON LAKES – Lake Emily, Moari Lakes and Lake Heron

From the Hakatere Historic Town ( see post) take the Hakatere Heron Road, this will take you into the Hakatere Conservation Park and past Lake Emily and Moari Lakes, to Lake Heron, the end of the road is at the head of lake Heron at Lake Heron Station. Take a short detour on a gravel road to visit Lake Emily.

Hakatere Conservation Park, in mid-Canterbury, is centred around the Ashburton Lakes District between the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers. It covers nearly 60,000 hectares of rugged mountain country, tussocklands, beech forest and sparkling clear rivers and lakes between two mighty rivers the Rakaia and Rangitata.

Lake Heron is the largest lake in the area, it was named by Thomas Potts, the first run holder of Hakatere Station and one of New Zealand’s earliest conservationists. If you are interesting in fishing, Lake Heron is home to a good populations of brown and rainbow trout, there are also walking tracks in the area to explore.

This is a beutiful area but weather condition can can change dramatically. If you are planning outdoor activities be prepared for any changes. Cell phone coverage is very limited within much of the park.