Vege Shed Visit & the Road to Mavora

The Vege Shed, SH6, Athol-Five Rivers Highway, Northern Southland, NZ

I mentioned in the last post from Athol that we'd be calling in at the Vege Shed as we passed on our way to the Lakes. Which we did. Twice. What a great little place, so much so that I thought it deserved a dedicated post all to itself (well nearly all to itself). The Vege Shed is the on-farm store for Athol Valley Meats, it sells meat (lamb & venison) & produce to locals and passersby from this restored 100 year old woolshed.

Bart greets the customers.

We filled our basket with fresh fruit & vegetables along with two dozen free range eggs (finally some more free range eggs!) Out of the fridge came vacuumed packed salmon, bacon & garlic flavoured mussels- well we do need to have a few treats while we're out of circulation don't we. And next came the meat, various cuts of vacuumed packed & frozen venison & lamb along with a couple of fresh selections for the next night or two.

While David chatted with Heather, the very affable owner, I wandered about filling the basket with more goodies. In the end I had to call it quits because I was unsure whether I'd be able to fit all the cold food in the fridge and freezer. We left with a huge box load of produce & a promise to toot on our way back past so Heather could check out our rig. We'd driven down without the van unsure whether we'd be able to turn around inside the yard.

Back at the van I managed to squeeze everything into the fridge & freezer with room to spare so once we were hitched up and on our way, instead of tooting we pulled in again and I bought another lot of meat & more eggs! Needless to say we have been eating like kings these past couple of weeks. Bart, the Schnauser was still parked in his spot enjoying the morning sun.  

If you are passing the Vege Shed I'd highly recommend stopping & having a look. The produce was super fresh & has lasted us well over the two weeks. And the meat has been exceptional, very tasty indeed. We especially enjoyed the venison medallions.

It was a leisurely drive of about 60kms to the Lakes although the last 34kms was on a dusty gravel road that was in need of a good grade in places. There were some quite large pot holes and the van shook about a bit. We stopped a couple of times for a walk around check inside & out but found all to be in ship-shape order. Occasionally I'll forget to stow something, usually something small like my reading glasses or the drink coasters which will have found their way onto the floor. But nothing major yet *touch wood*.

We were passing through sheep country again and also quite a number of deer farms. This area was where helicopter capture & deer farming began. There was also a lot of tussock covered hills surrounded by green stock crops & hay paddocks. The area is very dry & in need of a good dose of rain.

As we got closer to the lakes, the mountain ranges on both sides of the river valley rose steeply out of the haze. The scenery really is spectacular.

Eyre Mountains Conservation Park

Just as we were beginning to think that the gravel road was never going to end the Mavora Lakes sign appeared and we turned onto the access road. The road wound it's way through a Beech Forest beside the South Mavora Lake & we were hoping we weren't going to meet anyone coming the other way as it was very narrow & winding with many overhanging trees. The sun glistening through the branches and dancing on the road just made it harder for our eyes to adjust to the light difference.



South Mavora Lake

The Mavora Lakes consist of two lakes, North Mavora and South Mavora, they are part of Te Wahipounamu/South-West New Zealand World Heritage Area and are surrounded by an impressive landscape of mountains, forest and tussock grassland. There are many activities that can be done in the area and a lot that are not available in other National Parks, these include camping, walking, horse trekking, walking your dog, tramping, boating, fishing, mountain biking, motor biking, 4W-driving and hunting.

We signed in at the DOC information board & checked out where we might like to camp. This camp site is huge, it's 7kms from the entrance to the southern end of the North Mavora lake and camping is allowed at various areas all the way along the road and off on side tracks. There are spots beside the lakes or back up on plateau underneath the bushline. You can tuck yourselves away in a sheltered area with views of the mountains or park right on the lake. Contained "long-drop" toilets, fresh water taps & fire pits are plentiful.  We decided to drive all the way to the end checking as we went on what might be a good site. We'd decided we wanted to be beside the north lake (where motorised boats are allowed) so we could finally get the Takacat inflatable out and launch it for the very first time.

The end of the road- Mt Campbell behind the park

There was hardly anyone camping, just a few motorhomes dotted about & a couple of tents in the trees here & there. We found a great spot on a small terrace just above the lake & tucked ourselves into the side of the trees. Good protection from any southerlies &/or westerlies that might decide to pay us a visit.

It was a perfect day to arrive, as the afternoon wore on it got extremely hot & with not a breath of wind the emerald green lake looked like a millpond. We were pretty pleased with our camp site choice especially with this view looking up the lake. Mt Cerberus was just across the water and provided us with some spectacular sights over the next two weeks.

Fangorn Forest...

.....Silverlode River &  Nen Hithoel. If you are a LOTR fan you'll probably know these names from Middle Earth. We know the area where these fictional places are located as the Mavora Lakes and it's where we are headed today for two to three weeks.

Mavora Lakes, there are two; North & South are located at the end of 35kms of gravel road. The road leaves SH94 about half way between Mossburn & Te Anau in Southland and winds it way through the Mararoa River valley. We've not been to the lakes before but from all accounts it is a stunningly beautiful area. We'll be staying at the DOC camp which is located between the lakes. We'll also be launching our Takacat inflatable for the very first time, on the north lake only of course, there's a ban on powered boats on the south one.

Looking at my road map I am fascinated to see that just before the lakes another gravel road branches off and continues over mountains & passes for what looks like miles to finally arrive on the shores of Lake Wakatipu & ends at the famous (in NZ) Walter Peak Station. The station sits on the opposite shore to Queenstown & the well known steamer Earnslaw is usually the way goods and people visit.  It's probably 10kms by boat across the lake from Queenstown but I bet at least 200+ kms by road. While at the lakes we may just have to do a little tiki-tour to explore further.

We will be out of cellphone range while we're there so this will be my last blog post for awhile but have no fear, I shall have a few to post on our return to civilization.

We didn't leave Athol yesterday as originally planned. David had spent all day Sunday cleaning the dust off & out of the ute after our epic 4WD safari on Saturday. He felt he needed a day of rest (but has pottered about all day) & I also wanted to complete the 4WD blogs so we delayed our departure. And it was lucky we did, it blew a gale from early morning with plenty of very strong gusts, our new neighbours towed their caravan down from Wanaka and had the front window of the van broken by the wind.

Before we leave this morning we will be calling in to stock up at the "Vege Shed" which is just down the road, apparently it sells very tasty lamb & venison too. There are not too many options for fresh meat & vegetables between here & Mavora Lakes so we'll take full advantage of what's on offer. I just love their building (an old woolshed) & how it fits right into the environment.

Signing off for now, somewhere "Out There" in the wop-wops (Kiwi speak for out the back of beyond)