And the dog came too... dog walks in New Zealand
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St Bathans, Blue Lake

A fascinating walk around a blue(-ish) lake set amongst some old gold-workings.

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St Bathans, Blue Lake​

This is a walk with a difference. It's set amongst old gold workings in the picturesque village of St Bathans, and offers two loops around a lake that has formed in the excavation pits. The outer loop runs along the tops of the low hills that surround the lake and is about 3km long; the lower loop follows a boardwalk and grassy path on the western side.

If you follow the longer route, and stick to the path, then the going is moderate and you should comfortably be able to complete the loop in an hour and a half, even allowing for time exploring. Likewise, if you take the shorter route, along the boardwalk, you should be back where you started in 30-45 minutes. But if, like us, you let the dogs find the way, and end up scrambling along the informal paths around the margin of the lake, then be prepared for a good hour and a half of scrambling and sliding over scree, crawling through thorn scrub, picking your way through marsh, and tip-toeing along the water's edge: great fun, but not exactly what we'd set out to do.   

Whichever route you choose, take a bit of time to fossick amongst the shales and gravels exposed by the worklngs. Some of the shapes and colours of the sediments are beautiful, and there are geological treasures to find. You'll be very lucky to discover any gold, but there are other interesting mineralsto discover, as well as fossils of plant leaves, insects and even Mososaurus bones.  
Picture
Name
St Bathans Blue Lake
Location
St Bathans
Co-ordinates
Value
Length
3 km 
Status
Off-leash
Configuration
Loop
Grade
Moderate - difficult
Access
Follow signs from SH85 (Alexandra-Ranfurly) to St Bathans; entrance to Blue Lake opposite the village pub.
Cafes and restaurants
Pub when its open; otherwise cafe at Lauder (ca. 20 km)
Further information
Value
Hover on the map to zoom in
If you've found this website helpful, you might also want to look at some of my novels and poetry. These, like my dog-walking, are drawn from a love of nature and the countryside. To learn more, click here.