Lake Tennyson (elevation 1,102 metres or 3,615 feet) is a glacial high-country lake in Canterbury, New Zealand. The first European settler to see the lake was Frederick Weld in 1853, who also named it. The headwaters of the Clarence River are just to the north, and the river flows through Lake Tennyson.
Lake Tennyson was discovered by Frederick Weld in 1853; [1] [2] Weld was the inaugural member of parliament for the Wairau electorate. [3] The nearby Mount Weld is named for Weld, who climbed the mountain in March 1855. [4] The reason for Weld exploring the area was his search for an overland route between Nelson and Canterbury for driving sheep. [2] The lake is assumed to be named for the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. [1] Weld described the lake as follows:
Lake Tennyson in beauty far surpasses anything that I have ever seen in New Zealand.
The small glacial lake is 1,102 metres (3,615 ft) above sea level. [5] A broad moraine with a number of tarns (i.e. mountain pools) forms the downstream side of the lake. [6] There is a basic camp ground provided by the Department of Conservation next to the lake, free to use on a first come, first served basis. [7] The lake's perimeter is approximately 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) and can be walked, but wading in the lake is required in places. [8]
Lake Tennyson is located within the headwaters of the Clarence River; the river flows through the lake. [6] Lake Tennyson is framed by the St James Range to the west, and the Crimea Range to the east. [5]
Lake Tennyson is part of Molesworth Station, New Zealand's largest farm. [7] Access from Hanmer Springs (43 kilometres or 27 miles) is on Clarence Valley Road via Jacks Pass, and then Tophouse Road along the Clarence River to the Maling Pass car park. The Clarence River is crossed via bridge at the car park and after a short drive on the Rainbow Road, the access road to the lake is signposted on the left. This route is suitable for two-wheel drives. [7]
The alternative access is from Saint Arnaud (75 kilometres or 47 miles). Just east of the township, the route turns right off State Highway 63 onto Rainbow Road (also known as Wairau–Hanmer Springs Hydro Road). This route follows the Wairau River to Island Saddle, which is New Zealand's highest legal road at 1,347 metres (4,419 ft). From there, it is 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) to the turn off to Lake Tennyson. This road is suitable for four-wheel drives only, has seasonal access restrictions, and a toll applies that is payable at Rainbow Station. [7]
The Maling Pass car park in close proximity to Lake Tennyson is the most common start point for those who want to explore the St James Cycle Trail. [9]
The South Island, also officially named Te Waipounamu, is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island. It has a temperate climate.
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for 425 kilometres (264 mi) through the North Island. It rises in the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It then drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the Huka Falls, and flows northwest through the Waikato Plains. It empties into the Tasman Sea south of Auckland, at Port Waikato. It gives its name to the Waikato region that surrounds the Waikato Plains. The present course of the river was largely formed about 17,000 years ago. Contributing factors were climate warming, forest being reestablished in the river headwaters and the deepening, rather than widening, of the existing river channel. The channel was gradually eroded as far up river as Piarere, leaving the old Hinuera channel through the Hinuera Gap high and dry. The remains of the old river path can be clearly seen at Hinuera where the cliffs mark the ancient river edges. The river's main tributary is the Waipa River, which has its confluence with the Waikato at Ngāruawāhia.
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, near the town of Twizel. Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain, and Aoraki/Mount Cook Village lie within the park. The area was gazetted as a national park in October 1953 and consists of reserves that were established as early as 1887 to protect the area's significant vegetation and landscape.
Hanmer Springs is a small town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. The Māori name for Hanmer Springs is Te Whakatakanga o te Ngārahu o te ahi a Tamatea, which means “where the ashes of Tamate’s (sic) fire lay”, referring to Tamatea, the captain of the canoe Tākitimu.
The Lewis River is a river in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. The valley of this river forms the southeastern approach to Lewis Pass; the river is thus adjacent to State Highway 7. The Lewis River is a tributary of the Boyle River. The Nina River flows into the Lewis River a few kilometres upstream from the confluence with the Boyle River. Land Information New Zealand lists the name of the river as "not official", i.e. the name is not confirmed by the New Zealand Geographic Board. It was named for the surveyor Henry Lewis, who discovered the pass in 1860 alongside his colleague Christopher Maling. Later in 1860, the river was named by Julius von Haast during his own expedition; von Haast became the brother-in-law of Lewis' daughter in 1866.
Manapouri is a small town in Southland / Fiordland, in the southwest corner of the South Island, in New Zealand. The township is the westernmost municipality in New Zealand. Located at the edge of the Fiordland National Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Manapouri, close to its outflow into the Waiau River, tourist boat services are based in the town.
Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld, was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the sixth Premier of New Zealand, and later served as Governor of Western Australia, Governor of Tasmania, and Governor of the Straits Settlements.
Haupapa / Tasman Glacier is the largest glacier in New Zealand, and one of several large glaciers which flow south and east towards the Mackenzie Basin from the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island.
The Tasman River is an alpine braided river flowing through Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island.
Waipara is a small town in north Canterbury, New Zealand, on the banks of the Waipara River. Its name translates to "Muddy Water", wai meaning water and para meaning mud.
Thomas Brunner was an English-born surveyor and explorer remembered for his exploration of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.
The Waiau Branch was a branch line railway in the northern Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. Known as the Great Northern Railway for its first few decades of life, the Waiau Branch was seen as part of a main line north but was ultimately superseded by a coastal route. Opened in stages from 1882 to 1919, the line closed in 1978 but a portion has been retained as the Weka Pass Railway.
The Main North Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north from Christchurch in New Zealand up the east coast of the South Island through Kaikōura and Blenheim to Picton. It is a major link in New Zealand's national rail network and offers a connection with roll-on roll-off ferries from Picton to Wellington. It was also the longest railway construction project in New Zealand's history, with the first stages built in the 1870s and not completed until 1945.
State Highway 6 is a major New Zealand state highway. It extends from the northeastern corner of the South Island across the top of the island, then down the length of the island, initially along the West Coast and then across the Southern Alps through inland Otago and finally across the Southland Plains to the island's south coast. Distances are measured from north to south.
Wairau was a parliamentary electorate in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand. It was one of the initial 24 New Zealand electorates and existed from 1853 until its abolition in 1938, when it was succeeded by the Marlborough electorate. The electorate had 13 representatives during its existence. The 1861 election in the Wairau electorate was notable in that a later Premier, Frederick Weld, was unexpectedly and narrowly defeated by William Henry Eyes.
Styx River is in the north of the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It flows east for 7 kilometres (4 mi) into the Clarence River, 9 kilometres (6 mi) north west of Hanmer Springs.
Rainbow Road is an unsealed back-country road in New Zealand. It runs for 112 kilometres (70 mi) from Hanmer Springs in Canterbury to Saint Arnaud in the Nelson Region, but for much of its length it is located in the Marlborough Region. The official name of the road is Rainbow Valley–Hanmer Road.
Henry Lewis was a New Zealand surveyor.
Mount Whitcombe is a mountain in New Zealand's Southern Alps, rising to a height of 2,650 metres (8,690 ft).
Coordinates: 42°12′S172°44′E / 42.200°S 172.733°E