Ivon Wilson Reserve is a beautiful 35-hectare park with many mature exotic trees centred on pretty Lake Henry. It almost feels wasted on Te Anau. Anywhere else, it would be a major public asset, but here, it feels overshadowed by the many other attractions of Fiordland. Even the sign to the park is nondescript and easy to miss! We only went there out of excess curiosity as we drove past the bland entrance.
The access is opposite The Punanga Manu o Te Anau / Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, with a large parking area surrounded by beautiful deciduous trees. There is a map of the park and a brief history of Lake Henry on a board beside the car park. It was once attached to Lake Te Anau but separated as lake levels fell following glacial retreat about 14,000 years ago. More recently, it was used as a trout hatchery but is now designated as a children’s fishery. This means that children can get a fishing licence for free from the nearby DOC visitor centre.
A thicket of bushes and trees surrounds the lake and there are just two access points, but these are easy to find from the main walkway around the park. The pretty walkway meanders between rolling open grasslands, wetlands, exotic pines and deciduous trees. Young native plantings are close to the lake.
A disc (frisbee) golf course also explains the odd baskets and start points scattered around the trails. Another sign explains the rules.
Allow about an hour to wander around the park or take a picnic. With the preponderance of deciduous trees, autumn is probably very colourful.
