With Eric busy working in the UK, and a sunny weekend in the forecast, I decided to head into the foothills to explore the Hakatere Conservation Area. After heading inland for a little over an hour, I turned off the main road to follow the Rangitata River towards the town of Lake Clearwater. The road quickly became a gravel track and after passing by the small settlement of Lake Clearwater I dropped down into the flats in the upper section of the valley.
The trailhead was next to the Potts River, and from the start of the hike I had great views up the valley towards Mount Cook in the distance. A little further up the valley I could make out the small rise that is Mount Sunday, which got its name as boundary riders from the high-country stations would meet here on Sundays.
More recently this valley was used as the location for Edoras in the Lord of the Rings film The Two Towers. One day I am going to have to watch the films to see how many of the places we have visited I am able to recognise!
From the car park the track wove through the braided river, luckily the river levels were relatively low and I was able to boulder hop without getting my feet wet. Leaving the river bed, the track climbed steeply up the river bank from where I had great views over the Potts River in both directions.
Weaving my way through the large clumps of tussock grass I was able to enjoy the views in all directions. Looking back down the valley I could make out the small settlement of Lake Clearwater in the distance. The winter sunshine helped pick out the rocky outcrops at the foot of the hills that were smoothed by a passing glacier years ago.
Eventually the track started to flatten out and after rounding a bend in the track I got my first view of Mystery Lake. The track dropped quickly to the shore of the lake and I carefully picked my way over the marshy ground at the end of the lake before taking the trail around the shore.
Despite the heavy frost that still clung to some of the shaded areas of the track, I was able to find a rock next to the water and enjoy my picnic in the warm sunshine. The sheltered location of the lake meant that the distant Pyramid Peak was perfectly reflected in the water.
After lunch I headed back down the valley, enjoying the views and the changing light over the mountains opposite. The short winter day didn’t leave me much time to explore the rest of the valley, but I am looking forward to coming back here to see some more of this area.