Rowing boat
an hour, from$25
- Oars, rowlocks and a mooring rope
- Best in the sheltered north bay
- No licence needed
- A whole day for $90
Take the wheel on the lake, or let a skipper steer
Rowing boats, quiet electric boats and motor boats by the hour or the day, plus skippered trips around the islands. Pick a boat, a date and a start time, and the harbour office confirms your reservation the same day.
12 boatsfor two to ten people
20 minutesof handover at the jetty
08:00weather call every morning
- Boats for two to ten
- Life jackets in every size
- By the hour or the day
- Lake chart on every boat
Pick your boat for the day
Every hire includes life jackets for the whole party, a laminated lake chart, a bailer and a throw line. Hourly prices are for the boat, not per person.
Electric day boat
an hour, from$65
- Canopy for sun or a passing shower
- Top speed around 5 knots
- No licence needed on this lake
- A whole day for $320
Motor boat
an hour, from$95
- Reach the far shore in twenty minutes
- Driver must hold a recognised boating licence
- Fuel for half a day included
- A whole day for $480
Skippered launch
an hour, from$180
- Island tour or a route you choose
- Covered seating for everyone
- Two hour minimum
- Your own drinks and picnic welcome
A refundable deposit is taken at the hut before you set off: $50 for a rowing boat, $150 for an electric boat and $300 for a motor boat. It is returned when the boat comes back on time and undamaged.
How the morning weather call works
At 08:00 the harbour master checks the wind, the water and the forecast and decides which boats go out. If your reservation is affected, we text you before 08:30.
| Conditions at 08:00 | What goes out | Your reservation |
|---|---|---|
| Light wind, clear view across the lake | Every boat | Goes ahead as booked |
| Wind above 15 knots | Motor boats and the launch only | Move to another boat or another date |
| Fog over the water | Nothing until it lifts | Start moved later, same length of hire |
| Wind above 25 knots or thunder nearby | Lake closed | New date or a full refund |
| Weather turns during your hire | Siren from the harbour | Head for the nearest jetty; unused time refunded |
Before you cast off
Every self drive hire starts the same way, whether you have rowed for years or never held an oar.
Check in at the hut
Show photo ID, and a boating licence for the motor boats. The deposit is taken and the hire time is written on your ticket.
Fit the life jackets
Staff fit a life jacket on every person, babies included. Everyone keeps it on from the jetty until the boat is tied up again.
Twenty minute handover
A member of staff shows you the controls, the chart, the zones to avoid and how to come back alongside the jetty.
Back by your ticket time
Return by the time on your ticket. If you are running late, call the hut from the boat and we talk you in.
Skippered trips for groups and first timers
The launch seats ten under a canopy and comes with a skipper who knows every bay and island on the lake. Sit back with a picnic, ask for the long route past the old boathouses or tell us the occasion and we plan the trip around it.
Birthdays, family reunions and small office outings book the launch most often. Guests bring their own food and drinks, and the skipper takes care of the water.
- Two hours or a full day
- Island tour or your own route
- Room for a cake and a cool box
- Skipper's call on weather and route
Life jackets, licences and lake rules
A lake is calm until it is not. These rules apply to every hire, and staff go through them again at the jetty.
Life jackets on, always
Everyone on board wears a life jacket from the moment they step off the jetty, adults included. Sizes run from infant to extra large, with buoyancy aids for dogs.
The weather has the last word
The 08:00 call decides which boats go out, and staff can bring boats in early if conditions change. When we call off a hire, pick another day or take the money back.
Licence rules
Licence rules for boats differ from country to country and by engine size. On this lake, rowing and electric boats need none, and motor boat drivers need a recognised licence.
Who takes charge
The person in charge of each boat must be 18 or over and sober. Children are welcome on every boat with an adult, and alcohol stays ashore on self drive hires.
Where boats may go
The chart marks the swimming area, the shallows and the dam wall, which are all out of bounds. Keep to 5 knots within 100 metres of the shore.
If something goes wrong
Every boat carries a whistle, a throw line and a card with the hut's number. If anyone is hurt or in the water, ring the local emergency number before anything else, then the harbour.
From the east jetty
Early mist, quiet bays and evenings when the harbour light comes on.
Notes from the jetty (example reviews)
Never driven a boat before, and the handover made it feel easy. The electric boat was so quiet that a heron stayed put as we drifted past.
The morning call moved us from 09:00 to 11:00 because of fog, and by then the lake was glass. A text arrived before breakfast, so nobody wasted a trip.
Ten of us on the launch for Grandad's eightieth, with a cake on board and a skipper who knew a story for every island. Everyone wore their life jackets without a single complaint.
Asked at the harbour hut
Do we need any boating experience?
Not for the rowing and electric boats, as the handover covers what you need. Motor boats need a driver with a recognised boating licence, because the lake rules ask for one at that engine size.
Can children come out on the water?
Yes, from babies upwards, each in a life jacket that fits. Children travel with an adult, and the person in charge of each boat is 18 or over.
Is a dog welcome on board?
Yes, one well behaved dog on rowing boats, electric boats and the launch, wearing one of our dog buoyancy aids. Please bring a towel for the seats.
What happens if we come back late?
Late returns are charged at $20 for every 15 minutes, taken from the deposit. If the weather or a problem delays you, call the hut and no charge applies.
Can we swim from the boats?
Not from the self drive boats. Swimming is allowed only in the marked swimming area, which boats cannot enter, or at the skipper's stop on a launch trip when conditions allow.
How do cancellations work?
Cancel 48 hours or more before your start time and nothing is charged. Later than that, we keep a quarter of the hire price, unless the weather call cancels it for you.
Reserve a boat for your date
Choose a boat, a date, a start time and how long you want it. The harbour office replies the same day to confirm, or to offer the nearest open time on the same boat or another one.
- Reserved only once the office confirms
- Deposit and hire paid at the hut on the day
- A text by 08:30 if the weather changes plans
Find the east jetty
The hut phone is answered in opening hours, and emails are read every evening in season. Directions and parking details come with your confirmation.
Harbour hut
The harbour hut on the east jetty of the lake, with parking beside the boathouse
On the water
| April to October | 09:00 to 19:00 |
| Winter weekends | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Weather call | 08:00 daily |
Hiring for a group?
Clubs, schools and companies can take several boats at once with a member of staff on the water alongside. Send the numbers, the ages and the date, and the office puts together a plan and a price.
Plan a group hire