Lake Taylor

Where is Lake Taylor anyway?

I’m the planner of ‘Team Kiwis Fly the Coop’.  I hunt out places to see and things to do.  It’s Scotty’s job to check that we can get there.  If the roads are suitable and how long it is going to take.

When I spotted Lake Taylor on the map and knowing we had a night to fill in before heading to the Waiau Meet and Greet (Motorhome Friends), he was on a mission to find out the logistics of getting us there.

our route from Hanmer to Lake Taylor

Google Maps told us that it was 105km from where we were at Hanmer Springs (click here for the previous blog).  Although the travel time stated 1.49 hours driving time, we only use this as a guideline.  Of course, we travel slower than the average car, but it is all about the journey so we usually make stops along the way.  There are many ‘wow’ moments that warrant a video and/or photo stop.

Lake Taylor is just one of the lakes that make up Hurunui Lakes in the Lake Sumner Forest Park.  Set in secluded inland wilderness lies Lake Sumner, Loch Katrine, Lake Sheppard, Lake Taylor and Lake Mason.  They are all excellent fishing and hunting grounds and are popular for their walking tracks and camping in this amazing high country landscape.

Getting There

I must admit that the incoming unseasonal cold snap forecasted for the next couple of days did make me wonder if we were making the right decision.  There was snow expected down to 300m so it was either going to make it a spectacular stay or a miserable one! 

Being a North Island girl, I’m not skilled in anything snow-related.  Scotty, however, is a Southern Man and relishes the opportunity to be around the ‘white stuff’.

Anyway, we set off, stopping at the Culverden Pie Shop for a feed before heading to Lake Taylor (the Southern Man Pie and Port Belly Pie were delicious!).  After turning off the main highway, it is a 50km drive to get to the camping area (nearly all gravel).

Road Conditions

We left the tar seal behind and continued along the gravel road.  Now the question that people always ask is, ‘what is the road like?’, or ‘would we be okay to take our campervan, caravan or 5th wheeler in?’.

I’m always reluctant to say to people ‘you’ll be fine’, without actually knowing their type of vehicle, their driving abilities or the time of year they want to go.

one of the many one-lane bridges makes for the perfect photo stop

The actual road surface is quite good for a gravel road.  The most challenging part may be that it is quite narrow in places with sharp turns.  We only encountered a few vehicles coming the other way, and we met them on a straight piece so it wasn’t an issue.

yet another photo stop on route to Lake Taylor

There are around 5 fords to cross.  They only had a light flow of water or dry but there were a couple of them with a steepish dip in and out.  I would recommend that you have good clearance to eliminate any dragging of your front or rear ends.

Also, keep an eye on rockfalls.  There are warning signs as you enter some sections as the cliff face does look quite unstable.  There were a few rather sizable rocks to navigate around and I really wouldn’t want to be in the vicinity when some of the rocks decide to let go.

I wasn’t quite as brave as Scotty to walk this suspension bridge!

DOC Camping Ground

After numerous photo stops, we made it to the DOC Camping Ground (NZMCA#7667).

It’s $8 per person per night, dogs are allowed on leads, no fires and tap water only.  There is one ‘long drop’ toilet (clean and non-smelly) and a small shelter hut.

When we arrived, there was one campervan which was pulling out to leave.  I’m presuming that after parking up by the lakefront, he would have considered his options after feeling that wind whipping along the water and decided that he didn’t want to put up with that for the night.

although it would have been magic beside the lake, the wind was just too unforgiving

We got out of the ute for our obligatory walk around.  The wind was unforgiving.  It was cold and blustery and you could hear it in the surrounding trees, singing a Windsong which sounded more like a groan!

we chose a campsite away from the lakefront with the most majestic mountain backdrop

There was a spot back from the lake, slightly elevated and seemed to be somewhat sheltered from nature’s full force.  We both agreed that it was a great spot to spend the night.

As luck had it, the wind did die down but then the rain set in which made our exploring a little delayed.

There is no cellphone coverage but we did get good TV reception.

even though we weren’t lakefront, we could still get those mountainous lake views

Surreal Surroundings

We hunkered down for the afternoon, I popped a bottle of Pinot Noir and proceeded to lose our card game of Uno.  Outside, the rain kept coming and going, as did the wind gusts. 

We were surrounded by towering mountains on all sides and most of them had a light dusting of snow on the peaks.  As the afternoon progressed we kept an eye on the mountain tops and noticed that the snow level was starting to descend.

and the magic just kept coming

The rain stopped enough for us to be able to get out and stretch our legs (with a few more layers on than what I arrived in).  I was completely in awe of my surroundings.  I don’t think that I am even literate enough to describe the feeling you get when you are immersed in such untouched, unblemished beauty.

Morning Glory

I was looking forward to seeing what awaited us when we awoke the next morning – I wasn’t disappointed.

and this greeted me as I emerged from the caravan the next morning

The snow had almost made lake-level.  The mountains that looked like they had a dusting of icing sugar the evening before, was now more heavily laden with a white blanket.

before and after, what a difference a night makes

The silence was deafening as you get that dense sound that comes with snow-covered landscapes.

Lake Taylor to Lake Sumner

Lake Taylor is as far as a ‘normal’ vehicle can go.   There is a 4×4 track which leads off around the south side of the lake for around 6km.  This leads to a small community full of baches at Lock Katrine.

The rain had stopped in the early hours of the morning but it was still quite wet underfoot.

We set off in the ute to see how far we could get along the 4×4 track.  Although Google Maps says that it was a 15-minute drive from our campsite, it took us longer than that to negotiate the conditions as far as the head of Lake Taylor.

we didn’t want to risk going any further on the track

Because of the amount of rain, there were some serious, deep, water-filled holes.  It was difficult to tell how far we were going to submerge into them. Because of the remoteness, lack of knowledge of the track ahead, no cellphone coverage and REALLY not wanting to damage the ute, we decided not to proceed all the way through to Loch Katrine.  

sussing out the 4×4 track

The track continues for a further 2km past the loch to Home Bay, Lake Sumner.  In better weather, we’d love to go back to explore all the way to the end of the track.

an impressive shot of our campsite across the lake from the 4×4 track across

If you have mountain bikes, then it would be a good track to ride (although you may get wet feet!).  You could walk it which would take around 4-6 hours return.

Click on the link below for highlights of our night at Lake Taylor.