Slipping into St Bathans’ Blue Lake is like swimming in Cleopatra’s bath – but on another planet | Kiran Dass

Guardian writers and readers describe their favourite place in New Zealand’s wilderness and why it’s special to themThe Blue Lake in St Bathans, New Zealand.Last modified on Fri 21 Jan 2022 04.10 GMTgrew up next to the swooshing, murky tea-coloured Waipā River in Ngāruawāhia. Always risk-averse, childhood myths of Taniwha and the idea of the snapping teeth and slither of monster eels terrified me a bit, so I never swam in rivers.

Calmer than the pummel of the sea or the dark magic of rivers, lake swimming appeals. Tucked away in Central Otago is the charming historic township St Bathans, a former goldmining town now with a population of fewer than ten. A prominent feature of the town is the sublime Blue Lake which remains a breathtaking sight no matter how many times you see it. Starting in 1864, miners sluiced through the quartz rock of 120 metre high Kildare Hill.

Quietly spectacular, the Blue Lake is 800 metres long and 50 metres deep. Slipping into it, the silky water makes me think of Cleopatra’s bath and offers respite from the scorching hot dustiness of the summer heat. A place of extremes, the weather in St Bathans can reach searing temperatures in summer, and freezing cold in winter.

In over-exposed, rinsed-out honeyed tones with Kilgour plaintively singing, “where do you come from? Where do you come from?” – it looks like it was filmed on another planet. A place steeped in rich heritage, St Bathans is a dreamy spot for heritage heads. The historic hotel built in 1882 is aptly named Vulcan Hotel and is rumoured to be haunted.

There’s a 90-minute track that loops right around the water offering sensational views of the lake and township. A shorter option of about 30 minutes offers a glimpse of the old sluicings and the goldmining machinery which converted Kildare Hill into the Blue Lake.With its sensuous sublimity, the Blue Lake offers swimming as a way of dreaming.

Didn't Cleopatra bathe in donkey milk and honey. Pretty sure that's not blue.

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