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Area
Waipori Falls
Village, South Otago, South Island, New Zealand.
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The area is a
haven for walking, tramping through the forests, fishing and
boating, or kayaking on Lake Mahinerangi just above the village,
fly-fishing in the Waipori River, and picnicking on the shores of
the lake where picnic tables are provided for the visitors in
pleasant shady surroundings.
In the summer there are often campers at the lake – about fifteen
kilometers above the village along a dirt road through a pine forest
(but not the very windy one alongside the Waipori River through the
"driveway"). Another local
pastime (engaged mainly by some of the locals!) is wild pig-hunting.
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Lake Mahinerangi:
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“The name of
the lake – Lake Mahinerangi – is a name to conjure with – ‘White
Daughter of Heaven.’ When my old friend Garrett and I reached it
after a long cool stroll through a pine forest, it presented a sheet
of water in which the rows of tall green pines, the startling blue
sky and the sun itself was reflected in an inverted mirror image of
the wide open panorama that stretched before us. This white daughter
of heaven holds buried secrets of past lives in the drowned mining
town – the original town of Waipori – beneath that mirror of water
and sky. The thought of that drowned street of hotels, bordellos,
barber shops, butcher shops, shoe shops, deep below, sent a shiver
down my spine as I stood there, shielding my eyes against the stark
winter sun of South Island.”
– Charles Muller, May 2006. |
Lake Mahinerangi is at
the top of the hill above us - about ten minutes in the car. Lush pine
forest and crystal clear water.
Our hire
car at a picnic spot on Lake Mahinerangi
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At the far
end of Lake Mahinerangi is the old Waipori Village cemetery. It
is about 15k away, across a causeway over the lake. After
crossing the causeway, one takes a road to the left – and a sign
will indicate the road (through a gate) that leads to the
cemetery above the banks of the lake. The cemetery overlooks the
area where the old Waipori town was – now drowned by the lake
CLICK HERE FOR AN EVOCATIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE CEMETERY.
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Native Bush and
Cabbage palms abound in the area:
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Familiar Rowan tree |
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A native in the
bush! Len, one of Waipori's treasures, trimming our trees
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At the head of
the gorge you'll find the Crystal Falls
Just below
the village is an enchanting well-kept walk though thick bush
alongside the river, to a closer view of the Crystal Falls that
one sees across the valley from the house. There is a picnic
spot at the beginning of the walk, with picnic tables. Joanne
writes: “We walked all the way to the falls but couldn’t
see them clearly because of the undergrowth. We had to stop
twice on our way back up the hill along well manicured paths for
a sit down – we came through the tennis courts and sat outside
the old shop that’s painted purple. It looked abandoned; comfy
chairs outside on the concrete veranda as though someone has
just got up and popped inside for something, leaving their glass
of lemonade in the plant pot. A veritable time warp, and
everyone gone.” The village has a caretaker who takes great care
in cutting back the vegetation and keeping the paths and lawns
well tended. |
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This photo is
taken from our deck - you can see a ribbon of white, the Crystal
Falls, in the distance. From the deck you can hear the river fed
by the falls. |
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Waipori River in May |
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Waipori in May |
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In the valley bottom |
Start of the Crystal Falls walk |
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Wetlands at the beginning of The Driveway |
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The
Sinclair Wetlands are not far from the village, back along the
“driveway” back to the N1 motorway. The area is a sanctuary of
wildlife such as mallard duck and black swans |
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