Bolger Family Travels: Tramping Around Moke Lake

Tramping, known elsewhere as backpacking, rambling, hill walking or bushwalking, is a popular activity in New Zealand. Tramping is defined as a recreational activity involving walking over rough country.

So at Moke Lake Road, we turned right instead of left. Within a few meters, there was a sign warning us not to drive the road in winter or spring, unless we had four wheel drive. I don't handle road signs telling me what not to do very well, so we pressed over the rocky dirt road.

Given that I thought we would be out of it from jet lag, I picked a relatively easy hike from the great website showing lots of hikes (which, of course, I can't find right now). As we drove to Moke Lake, the valley revealed an area that is a cross between Scotland and the Alps -- idyllic farms full of sheep and cows, and towering mountains. The lake itself is beautiful, and the trail is not very difficult -- but there is some up and down.

From where we parked, to the north lay fields full of horses -- including a group of people about to go horse trekking, and then mountains. To the south lay Moke Lake, with mountains on either side. There were snow capped mountains in the distance, and the lake is pristine.

Just a few hundred yards into the hike, there was a man on edge of the lake and fields flying a drone with a camera. As I responded to his hello, he asked where we were from. We took that as an invitation to chat. He's a cameraman on New Zealand's longest running TV show, a programme called "Country Calendar." It's been on for 50 years -- not that he's worked there that long (35 years I believe is what he said).

We chatted for a while about his business, drones, their uses and misuses, and he was quite a pleasant chap. We never felt the conversation droned on. Finally we bid him farewell so we could get on with our hike and he with his work.

The hike really started with the crossing of a stream feeding out of the lake. A pair of ducks were fazed by us at all, as they swam daringly close. The trail had some climbs, flat, and downs, and every so often there was a stream coming down from the mountain, passing under the trail, and continuing into the lake.

We were the only ones on the trail save for a dad and young daughter. He appreciated our compliments for the beauty of their country.

It was probably a 1:45 out and back hike -- a good way to stretch the legs after the 38 hour trip the several days before.