Lake Benmore

About

Although not a natural lake, Benmore makes for as pretty a body of water as anywhere else in New Zealand. The construction in the 1960’s of Benmore Dam, the largest earth dam in the country, created the huge 75 square kilometer lake that you can see today. The contours, the islands, and the mountainous backdrop will provide many a grand photographic opportunity. For shorter walks you can’t go wrong with the Benmore Peninsula walk, an hour and a half of medium grade walking which blesses you with an unbeatable vista at the halfway point; on a clear day you can see as far as Mount Cook. Take the clockwise direction for a gentler climb. Much of the walk takes you through mixed forest, with the pines granting you a particularly distinctive perfume to accompany you as you walk.