Up the Hurunui River north of Christchurch there are eight lakes in a tight group. Lake Sumner is the largest and best known, Lake Mary the smallest at less than two hectares. The other are lakes Taylor, Sheppard, Mason and Marion, Raupo Pond and Loch Katrine.
Access to them varies. Some are in the Lake Sumner Forest Park or enclosed by farms, others have open public access.
If heading there from Christchurch, the closest main centre, you’d head north then left at Waipara to Waikari via the Weka pass. Left at Waikari, continue north through Hawarden. Simply follow the road which will eventually become shingle after diving down to a bridge over the Waitohi River.
Soon the road wiggles its way over Jacks Saddle at 600m then descends to the Hurunui River valley. It follows the river for much of the route inland until it breaks off for Lake Taylor, the first of the lakes, where you’ll have climbed back to 600m.
First sight of the Hurunui is great in its gorge that the road follows well above. The road ducks and dives into tight hairpins often with fords. It’s not a road you’d want to fall off!
The gorge is popular with kayakers and fishermen and is quite photogenic. Bush-clad hills rise from it. There are tramping routes in the area and there’s a swing bridge across the river near Jollie Brook. Part way through the river splits in two and its south branch is crossed by bridge. Later we bear away from the river to travel terraces and river flats between the Oronoco Range and Little Sister hill to Lake Taylor.
There’s a camping area there with a toilet and views of the lake and some shelter from a row of pines at the lake edge. It’s a good spot to launch a boat and they tell me the fishing is great.
But this is the end of the good road. From here it becomes definitely 4WD and the puddles are notorious. No attempt is made to improve it though I will say that straight through the centre generally finds the best traction even if they can be quite deep. It’s a major crime here to bypass the waterholes.
There is a legal paper road route all the way to Harpers Pass and over into the Taramakau but it is unformed and the actual road does not always follow the line nor go that far. There are ongoing disputes about right of way so please be good and stay on the track. People tow boats over this track to Loch Katrine. Not all arrive in one piece.
The road goes all the way to the head of Lake Sumner and past it to a swing bridge across the upper section of the Hurunui. Further up there is a hut and a hot spring but no vehicle track. It’s an easy walk. Across the river is private land with no vehicle access.
To go past Loch Katrine requires permission from DOC and a code for the combination lock of a gate. Only a limited number of vehicles are allowed per day. Notably signs have been attached to gates by the combined 4WD clubs to discourage 4WD use off the track. 4WD hooning on the farmland or DOC estate is a major cause of the gates being locked.
An artificial canal has been created between Loch Katrine and Lake Sumner so boats can be taken from one to the other, and it can be a real surprise to see a boat appear sailing through a paddock! Best I’ve seen was a yacht under full sail through the paddock, looked really weird! There’s a small bach community at Katrine though it’s been on shaky ground for many a year as DOC fight to have it removed. I understand that at present they are allowed to maintain them but not increase floor area.
Weather at the lakes is typically changeable and alpine. Blazing hot cloudless days to howling blizzards. A nor’wester really blasts these valleys and there’s little shelter. Last time I was there it was blowing that way so I nosed the Magic Carpet up to tall Matagouri by the lake edge. It gave just enough wind shadow for a relaxed meal and pleasant nights sleep in the moonlight as the wind died. The following four days were gorgeous, sunny and still.

A mate and I were heading for the lakes one day in a rough old Series II Landy I’d just bought and made into a runner. It was its maiden voyage. We were pushing into a nor’wester on the last bit of sealed road, loose old rag top well past its sell-by date flapping and cracking like a badly rigged sailboat. Suddenly there was a BANG and there was LIGHT and someone put the brakes on. Also more noise and a huge draught. The rag had split across at the roof bow above our heads and the whole rear section was inflated like a spinnaker but going the wrong way. After much head scratching we found a dead gorse bush at the fenceline with just the right curve to lift the rear of the front section high enough to stop the wind funneling into the rear. Tied it into place with bits of twine and grass and carried on.