Driving towards Ashburton Lakes, you enter the Hakatere Conservation Park, about 600 metres above sea level. At 60,000 hectares, the park is extensive and covers various areas around Ashburton Lakes and between the Rakaia River and Rangitata River.
Approaching the lakes, you cross an area called Fagans Downs. This is a wide, dry plain surrounded by distant mountains and a scattering of lakes and wetlands. You can drive to some of the bigger lakes: Lake Camp, Lake Clearwater, and Lake Heron. There is a rough 4WD road to Lake Emma, and tracks take you to several smaller lakes and higher into mountain tussocklands.
The contrast between dry and wet is amazing, and the lakes make for superb lake reflections on a calm day.
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