It wasn’t a place I had envisioned it would be! It turned out to be a quiet unobtrusive lonely reserve, tucked away deep in the country. 

Strange introduction:

We parked the car off Rifle road, on the right side, where there was unkempt grass. The area looked like a lonely farm with no one around. Not even a sign post about the Howell lakes. Perhaps we had come to the wrong place!? 

There was a wooden stile/gate in a wire fence on our right. It didn’t look important, so we walked down the road to explore what was ahead.  

The road dipped down into wide pathway full of deep ruts, presumably cause by soil erosion. Trees and bush towered high above us on the left, on much higher ground. 

After a while, the width of the sandy pathway peters out at the bottom of the hill, where we found ourselves in a tight-sided cozy little valley.  

A forgotten little nature reserve: 

Crossing a little drift-bridge, and on the left there was a little stream between rocks and weeds, trickling down the hollow of the valley.  

And following a path, we came across a sign. It states the place had been adopted by school children, who had tried to turn it into a botanical area. We looked around a bit and decided it looked like it still needed more effort to make it properly organized! 

Turning up to the right, there was a… 

Steep hill pathway:

It was so wide… it was more like a road, stony and with uneven ruts. I supposed it also was caused by soil erosion. 

I was so engrossed looking down and negotiating the rough climb up the road, I didn’t see where our son and my husband had gone once they got to the top of the rutted path. 

When I got to the top, there was no directive signpost. And to my right I found a grassy plateau. (This looks like a road in the map going to the right)  

Thinking they may have gone along that wild grassy plateau, I walked a little way along it and called for them as I went. But there was no answer. It seemed like they had disappeared into thin air! 

Map of the Howell Lakes area: 

I felt all alone and lost.

Turning back along the plateau I saw a wooden post opening to my right. And from it, there was another wide path leading up the hill. This time leading up left from the opening in the fence. Couldn’t see my husband and son up there either! 

After a while, I saw a single young woman with a haversack on her back coming down that hill and going through the post opening. Clearly she was touring all on her own.  

So this place must be a tourist place after all! And it also showed that women could safely hike through New Zealand alone! 

I ask her if she had seen anyone and she said she hadn’t seen anyone up the hill at all. So I followed her down the steep eroded pathway `road’ again. But more slowly than her!  

Still couldn’t find my family down there either. 

By now, I was feeling frustrated:

Exhausted I looked for a shady spot. And there to the left-side off the steep rutted pathway, was a terraced pathway. Walking along it I found a little small spot of shade and rested there for some time.  

This pathway had neatly mowed grass all along its length! Its very neatness was so contrary, compared with the rest of the unkempt wildness of the reserve. 

I tried again to find them: 

I felt I couldn’t wait there forever. So up the hill I went again. But this time, I went through the wooden post opening, and continued further up the hill, from where the young woman had come down.  

This pathway was wide and smooth, bordered by grass and small trees, giving it some importance. Here was another contrary setup! 

When I got to the top of that hill,

There were organized pathways to the right. The path went this way and that way. It doesn’t seem the same on the map. Maybe I got myself confused at that point. And at the end of it, at last I found the Howell Lake!  

And guess what? It looked like a small pond-dam to me. Not very exciting after all… shame, silly me, I expected much more! Such a let-down after all my drama!

Here are a couple of photos of it: 

And because of my trouble finding it, I felt I had to paint it. So here is an oil painting I did of it, too. And hope you enjoy it… perhaps make it worth it… after reading all that twist in the tale!

PS: 

1. I did found my family on the way going down the hill again… So all ended well… in the end! 
2. And with my description of the place, if you ever want to go there, this blog will help you find the way without any drama that I had. And maybe find a better way to get to the main lakes. 

The next blog: 

That same day we went to the Howell Lakes, we traveled on, and found a very spectacular beach… And I have an oil painting for you, for that too.