The Blue Lake
27th May 2010

Aardwolfs Ice Hockey Club

aardwolfsice.com

The Blue Lake
Lat: 44'52'01.41S Long: 169'48'30.82E Elevation 539M

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See photos of Blue Lake here    Safety Tips
The Blue Lake

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Information: The Blue Lake is a small lake adjacent to the town of St. Bathans in Central Otago, New Zealand. The lake is man-made, the result of sluicing operations that began in 1873 when John Ewing (1844-1922) formed the St. Bathans Channel Company, to mine the Kildare Hill Gold Claim in St Bathans. His company constructed a tailings channel and introduced hydraulic elevating to work the claim. As this work progressed the Kildare Hill Claim became the site of the deepest hydraulic elevating operation in the world, that would turn a 120 metre hill into a 68 metre hole. Work stopped in 1902 when there was insufficient fall in the tailings channel to carry away the tailings. By 1905 John Ewing was bankrupt as a result of poor investments in other locations. The Kildare Hill Claim was then taken up by the Scandinavian Water Race Company in that year. This company restarted operations and worked the claim until 1932, when it was finally abandoned due to the fear of undermining the town of St Bathans. Natural drainage from the surrounding hills filled the hole with water and created the present day lake. The Blue Lake is a key feature of modern day St. Bathans and is used for swimming, fishing, body-boarding, and kayaking. In Winter it frequently freezes which allows some ice skating, caution is advised as there are supposedly springs making thin patches in the ice.
 

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Driving Instructions from Christchurch to the Blue Lake - St Bathans
423 km ? about 6 hours 24 mins

Head South from Christchucrch
Continue on SH 1
Continue on Main South Rd
Pass Ashburton
Pass Timaru
Pass Oamaru
In Palmerston
Turn right at Tiverton St (1.1K)
Continue on Dunback Rd (0.4K)
Continue on Palmerston Dunback Rd (12.2K)
Continue on Dunback Morrisons Rd (21.4K)
Continue on Morrisons Kyeburn Rd (27.0K)
Continue on Kyeburn Ranfurly Rd (2.1K)
Turn left to stay on Kyeburn Ranfurly Rd (11.0K)
Continue on Goff Rd (0.9K)
Turn left at Northland St (0.7K)
Turn right at Knox St (0.4K)
Turn right at Stuart Rd (0.8K)
Continue on Ranfurly Wedderburn Rd (12.5K)
Continue on Wedderburn Becks Rd (15.5K)
Turn right at Loop Rd (10.1K)
Blue lake will be on the right

See photos of Blue Lake here
Go to Natural Ice Reports

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