Mentally Escaping to Frasers Beach, Manapouri, New Zealand

There's a place my mind wanders to when I'm bored, or overly anxious (hi, pandemic self!), or just thinking about some of my favorite places in the world.

Of course my mind doesn't only wander here, taking a few detours to a variety of other places, but for some reason, this one location seems to stick out perhaps more than it should, especially due to it's relative obscurity.

In fact, it's likely you've never even heard of this place, Lake Manapouri's Frasers Beach, even if you've been in the neighborhood simply because so many of it's neighbors are more well known and deemed essential viewing.

I won't even claim that this place is a must-see. Some days, the weather might make the location downright unpleasant, and depending on the level of the lake, the beach might not be as perfect as it exists in my imagination on those day-dreamy days.

It's not even a pleasant beach experience by typical beach-going standards (I live in Hawaii, so my standards are pretty high). When we visited the first time, it was windy and cold, and the beach is made up not of baby soft sand, but uncomfortable pebbles.

Still, under the right conditions, it simply is one of the most beautiful settings I've ever been fortunate to visit. The dark blue of Lake Manapouri, the snow covered mountains off in the distance, maybe a rainbow if you're lucky, and few to no other people around you - what else could a person want? Yes, if you find yourself down in Manapouri, whether heading to or from a boat trip out to Doubtful Sound, or perhaps even in Te Anau and are looking for something to do that's not too far or challenging, might I humbly suggest a quick trip to Frasers Beach. In the right conditions, this small strand of sand might also become a pleasant day dream escape for you too someday. Let me show you why.

Bonus Pictures

While these pictures aren't exactly of the beach, this park, located directly across from the house we rented in Manapouri, leads down to Frasers Beach, and showcases a different perspective of the same views from the beach area.

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Frasers Beach Details

Located right along the shores of Lake Manapouri, Frasers Beach is easily accessible from Highway 95 that runs between the towns of Te Anau and Manapouri. It's a minute or two away from the launching point for Doubtful Sound cruises, so if you find yourself in this small town, just veer off the highway onto Frasers Beach Road and enjoy the lovely scenery.

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Day of this trip: November 5, 2017