The Living Lake

This is a short but scenic out and back run from the Upper Selwyn Huts following the Waikirikiri/Selwyn river to its mouth into Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.

Leave your car at the entrance to the Upper Selwyn Huts. Hop up onto the stopbank via the obvious stairs and head south. After the huts the trail can peter out if the grass is long, so you may need to hop down onto the dirt road for a section down to the Lower Huts. It depends, at peak summer there is usually a well-worn trail along the whole stopbank. As you approach the Lower Huts make sure you pick up the trail back on the top if you have taken the road-level option. The views out to the Southern Alps are striking, especially if snowcapped.

At the south end of the huts take the signposted trail out to the very end of the headland where you will be treated to great views of the lake, the prolific birdlife and the surrounding landscapes. A small word of warning, at times around the lake there can be thick clouds of midges, so be sure to have a thir/buff on hand to cover your face if that "bugs" you at all.

Return by retracing your steps.

History of this place:
Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere was once an estuary of the Waimakariri River and twice its present size; bounding Tai Tapu with extensive wetlands giving way to forests of kahikatea, red beech, matai and totara leading to present day Christchurch.

Te Waihora, meaning ‘water spread out’ has been home to Maori for 20 generations. The principal settlement was at Taumutu where the local runanga is still based today. The lake was revered as the most bountiful site in the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu) for resources (mahinga kai) and was referred to as ‘Te Kete Ika Raikaihautu’ or ‘the fish basket of Raikaihautu’.

The lake bed was vested in the Ngai Tahu tribe as part of the settlement of its Treaty of Waitangi claim. The European name comes from the Earl of Ellesmere, a member of the Canterbury Association which supported the development of the lake.