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Walking around Lake Tennyson

October 11, 2026

Walking around Lake Tennyson
Despite having walked, biked, driven past & slept in the back of a yellow hilux when I was little, and many times camping since at Lake Tennyson over the years, I'd never gone for a stroll around the Lake. We'd planned to visit the area in a fine weather window that looked perfect to re-study the Princess Stream Tarns also in the area. Unfortunately the morning we were to leave, the local St James very helpful weatherman Mark Inglis (I do follow his posts very closely to keep an eye on conditions in the area) put some photos up showing quite a lot of snow coverage. I'd been hoping it would just rain...it did not, his wife Anne then sent photos of more extensive snow coverage from her heli drop in. We had to wait. Snow was not going to work, I'd already been in with less snow and it was way too white.
After a few days of warm weather we made our way in, the snow level way perfect for what I wanted and I spent 3 days throughly exploring the Princess Stream Tarns. During one of these days a big white blanket of cloud passed over so we decided to hide from the wind and go further up and explore around Lake Tennyson. The water level was quite high (snowmelt) so for a start we sidled around trying to keep the toes dry, but eventually gave up and I sloshed around in thigh deep water with a kid on my back - much faster going and it was quite refreshing on a warm day.
The lake is surprisingly beautiful. I thought it would be very exposed and barren, but it is more sheltered than the open plains, although perhaps not if the wind is blowing in a certain direction. There is a smattering of beautiful sheltered beech forest on both the eastern and western sides, crystal clear waters with a shelf of scree out a few meters then dropping in deep turquoise depths. Would be an spectacular place for a relaxing fish also and enjoyable kayak. We then ventured a km or so further up the Waiau Toa/Clarence River to have a look around a ridge further up the valley, looks vast but easy travel further up with a bit of Matagouri to pick your way through. On the list to further explore.







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