Lake Clearwater

Lake Clearwater is a high-country lake in the Ashburton Lakes district of Canterbury's South Island, subject to strong, consistent northwesterly winds funnelled off the surrounding mountains, which Wikipedia explicitly describes as making it 'an ideal lake for windsurfing and kitesurfing.' It is a protected wildlife refuge where motorised craft are banned, reached via 38 km of road (partly unsealed) past Mount Somers.

flat waterbeginners

Wind

dominant direction	northwesterly
thermal or synoptic	synoptic (funnelled off surrounding mountains)

Water

type	flat
notes	High-country lake at 667 m elevation, 197 ha, no motorised craft permitted (wildlife refuge).

Levels

beginner	yes
intermediate	yes
advanced	no

Launch & crowd

0	l
1	o
2	w
description	Lakeside access near the small Lake Clearwater holiday village; unsealed gravel road access, about 38 km past Mount Somers

Hazards

remote location / unsealed road access
no powered rescue craft allowed (wildlife refuge, no motors)

Rules

Government Purpose Reserve and wildlife refuge under the Reserves Act 1977 / Wildlife Act 1953, managed by the Department of Conservation; no dogs or motor-powered craft permitted on the lake (ongoing restriction, year not specified in source).

Travel basics

Sources: en.wikipedia.org