[Tate6]

Now that we know more about the beaches and ocean swimming, thank you all for your information (and pictures!), how are the lakes for swimming?

I live in Wisconsin, US, and our lakes are mostly clean and clear. We can only swim in them for 6-8 weeks in the summer, however, because they are too cold otherwise. We LIVE at the lakes in the summer! I have 4 kids, 16, 14, 6, and 3. After a hot day at work, my hubby comes home and wants to go to take a quick dip before supper to cool off. We live within minutes of several lakes, so we go to many different ones all summer, depending what we want... privacy, better beach, shallow water, deep water........

I am understanding that the lakes there are cold too. Is this true, or does it just depend on which island?

Thanks in advance for your expertise!!

Terry

[wiki]

I am understanding that the lakes there are cold too. Is this true, or does it just depend on which island?

Terry

I grew up beside Lake Te Anau (south west of the South Island) and it's certainly fine for swimming in.

There are a few hardy souls who go for a mid-winter swim, but I've been in it as early as August and as late as April - it depends on the mountains, since the lake is fed by mountain streams. If the mountains have snow-tops we tend to stay out! Next to Lake Te Anau is Lake Manapouri which was always a couple of degrees warmer, but that might be because it's a lot smaller (Te Anau is largest in NZ after Taupo)

I've swum in Lake Wakatipu (from the Kingston end), Wanaka, Tekapo, Ohau and Pukaki over the years and all are really nice (esp Tekapo, Ohau and Pukaki since they are really blue from mineral deposits).

You won't swim all-year-round in the lakes, but you will certainly get a good five months.

There's a lot of river swimming in NZ too.

[Tate6]

Thanks so much! That is great to hear!! And the pics I have seen of some of these lakes are beautiful! I can just imagine swimming in them!!

Terry

[migratory birds]

Aaahhh! Wisconsin lakes in the Northwoods - clear, cool plus bogs, owls, loons, frogs, hummingbirds, pilieated woodpeckers, coniferous forests, stars and that deep old Grandmother Lake Superior! Mmmm... I may have to homeschool so we can come back to visit during N Hemisphere summers!

We are still in (southern) WI with approval for permanant residency so NZ lakes are on my mind, too! I wonder how accessible they are (or are they mostly at 7500' and a two day hike in?) and if there are so many that people build their homes around them and live year-round on them? I hear the fishing is outstanding - the best in the world by one report.

Had a dream the other night we'd arrived in NZ (S Island?) and were driving by an incredibly beautiful body of water, as clear as if I were looking thru a polarized lens with big rocks and small islands dotting the water. I wanted to get out of the car and bring the water to my mouth as a way of connecting with my new home...

As I look at leaving I, too, look ahead to see what awaits us as we leave behind the familiar.

So, no information on NZ lakes but I share your interest in knowing what fresh water awaits! What I am thrilled by is the opportunity to be closer to the ocean and warm/hot mineral pools again.

See you on the water!

[tigerlily]

Sorry, not totally related, but- when we were hiking on south island in Mt. Aspiring National Park- we did drink the water out of the streams. In America, you could never do this- too many bugs and diseases- but the guides we had with us insisted, and we did it, without getting sick! My husband jumped in and swam in one of those streams- but it was COLD. I'll never forget the rocks either, they were purple. Ahh, memories....

[Moorf]

The lakes around us here in Canterbury and the South Island are indeed very clear and gorgeous to swim in, but they are freeeeeeezing and I'm not a water wuss! As others have said, they are mountain fed so if there is snow on them (as there is now!) it's usually as good an indicator as a toe dip!

The river that runs by us - the mighty Waimakariri - literally means "cold water" in Maori :D - they're not wrong either!

Mind you, having said that, I did venture in to Lake Coleridge once on a very hot summers day and it was bliss!! Cold, but bliss - and then you can dry off very quickly on the hot stones and boulders on the shore ;)

[K&CS]

The kids were swimming in the lake at Queenstown yesterday! Some of the adults did too but I wasn't feeling quite brave enough. Beautiful clear water and if you are a wuss (like me), then invest in a good wetsuit!

Kate

[migratory birds]

And it's that waimakariri that keeps lakes and rivers so pristine. In southern Wisconsin (where it looks like I have an opportunity to be highly appreciative of one last cold winter and the calls of the mating owls) the lakes and streams get warm enough for some nice algal blooms to occur (of course, fertiliser run-off from yards and farms only feeds the whole process).

[b&k]

Agricultural run-off and invader species are 2 of the biggest environmental problems in NZ at the moment. The most publicised invader is Didymo, an alga which clogs up freshwater streams and lakes. Agricultural runoff is more of a problem in the North Island.

If you want more info on these then I'd suggest the following links:

http://www.maf.govt.nz/

http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/