Lake Brunner is the largest lake in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand, covering an area of 40 km². The lake’s outflow is the Arnold River, a tributary of the Grey River. The lake lies 31 kilometres to the southeast of Greymouth. The main settlement close to the lake is Moana, on the northern shore. It was gouged out by a branch of the Taramakau Glacier and is one of a cluster of lakes within this sector of the Grey River catchment including Poerua, Kangaroo, Lady, Haupiri, Hochstetter and Ahaura. The lake is fed by the Crooked, Orangipuku and Eastern Hohonu Rivers and a number of small streams. Its outflow is the Arnold River, a tributary of the Grey River. The Lake Brunner area has an abundance of bird life and a variety of wetland and rain forest ecosystems.

The Maori name for the lake is Kotuku Whakaoho, meaning the ‘sea of herons’. The present name commemorates Thomas Brunner who, in 1848, became the first European to see the lake during his epic 550 day exploration of the region with Kehu and other Maori guides.

Nature and conservation, Lake Brunner is a holiday destination abundant with both water and land based activities. Only 33 kms North from Jackson’s Retreat Moana is serviced daily by both the TranzAlpine train and a variety of shuttle buses. Within a 10min walk from our Park if you have a couple of hours or a couple of days this is a stunning area to explore. Walking, Biking and Hiking trails in the area range from 20 minutes to 8 hours.