Lake District Adventures

Explore Lake Karapiro and beyond with a family who know this area like, well, like it's their backyard. Sally and Steve Hastie, Lofty and Amelia Filius and Sally and Amelia's parents Ann and Mike Paget have lived alongside the lake for the past 20 years, so when the sisters, their partners and parents went into business together, it only seemed right to dive into lake-centric adventure tourism. Between the six, there is no shortage of skills – Steve and Sally both have airline experience and Lofty (he's 6'8”) and Amelia are well versed in outdoor adventure.

Lake District Adventures offers a range of kayaking tours – including a popular night-time glow-worm adventure – and cycling experiences, as well as kayak, bike, SUP and e-bike hire. Nestled at the southern end of Lake Karapiro, their base is in the perfect location for joining the Waikato River Trail, with guides and shuttles available to make the cycling experience even easier. Their guides (generally one of the aforementioned family members) can also lead kayakers around the calm and friendly waters of Lake Karapiro, including over the submerged

Horahora Power Station and down the ravines and canyons of the lake. It's up one such canyon that paddlers on the Glow Worm Tour will experience the twinkling lights that decorate the native bush at dusk.

It's a hush-inducing moment that only select operators such as Lake District Adventures can provide, along with tales of local history and noting of the native flora and fauna that make the river and lake edge home.

The business is shifting a few hundred metres down the road in late 2019, with the new premise being even closer to the cycling trail entrance. There are grand plans in place, with talk of a café, accommodation and more. However, one thing remains unchanged, and that's the landscape they love. The gentle nature of the lake and trail make these tours and experiences accessible to all – as long as paddlers give the resident swans a wide berth. Horahora Road, Piarere. 0800 287

448, lakedistrictadventures.co.nz

Steve and Sally Hastie