Lake Tennyson (elevation ) is a glacial high-country lake in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

, New Zealand. The first European settler to see the lake was Frederick Weld in 1853, who also named it. The headwaters of the

Waiau Toa / Clarence River The Clarence River (; officially Waiau Toa / Clarence River) is a major river which flows through the Kaikōura Ranges in the northeast of New Zealand's South Island. At roughly long, it is the longest river in Canterbury and the eighth longest ...

are just to the north, and the river flows through Lake Tennyson.

History

Lake Tennyson was discovered by Frederick Weld in 1853; Weld was the inaugural member of parliament for the electorate. The nearby Mount Weld is named for Weld, who climbed the mountain in March 1855. The reason for Weld exploring the area was his search for an overland route between Nelson and Canterbury for driving sheep. The lake is assumed to be named for the poet

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

. Weld described the lake as follows:

Description

The small glacial lake is above sea level. A broad

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sh ...

with a number of tarns (i.e. mountain pools) forms the downstream side of the lake. There is a basic camp ground provided by the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

next to the lake, free to use on a

first come, first served Queueing theory is the mathematical study of waiting lines, or queues. A queueing model is constructed so that queue lengths and waiting time can be predicted. Queueing theory is generally considered a branch of operations research because the ...

basis. The lake's perimeter is approximately and can be walked, but wading in the lake is required in places.

Location

Lake Tennyson is located within the headwaters of the Clarence River; the river flows through the lake. Lake Tennyson is framed by the St James Range to the west, and the Crimea Range to the east. Lake Tennyson is part of

Molesworth Station Molesworth Station is a high country cattle station. It is located behind the Inland Kaikoura Mountain range in the South Island's Marlborough District. It is New Zealand's largest farm, at over and supports the country's biggest herd of ...

, New Zealand's largest farm. Access from Hanmer Springs () is on Clarence Valley Road via Jacks Pass, and then Tophouse Road along the Clarence River to the Maling Pass car park. The Clarence River is crossed via bridge at the car park and after a short drive on the Rainbow Road, the access road to the lake is signposted on the left. This route is suitable for

two-wheel drive Two-wheel-drive (2WD) denotes vehicles with a drivetrain that allows two wheels to be driven, and receive power and torque from the engine, simultaneously. Four-wheeled vehicles For four-wheeled vehicles (and by extension, vehicles with six, e ...

s. The alternative access is from Saint Arnaud (). Just east of the township, the route turns right off State Highway 63 onto Rainbow Road (also known as Wairau–Hanmer Springs Hydro Road). This route follows the Wairau River to

Island Saddle Island Saddle ( above sea level) is an alpine pass that is located in the Crimea Range in Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government distri ...

, which is New Zealand's highest legal road at . From there, it is to the turn off to Lake Tennyson. This road is suitable for

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer ca ...

s only, has seasonal access restrictions, and a toll applies that is payable at Rainbow Station. The Maling Pass car park in close proximity to Lake Tennyson is the most common start point for those who want to explore the

St James Cycle Trail St James Station is a former high country sheep and cattle station in the South Island of New Zealand. It was renowned for its horse sales and covered an area of . It is now referred to as the St James Conservation Area and is managed by the De ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tennyson, Lake Lakes of Canterbury, New Zealand Hurunui District