the middle of the island, digging the South Island freshwater lakes. His son, Rakihouia, led the other group down the east coast of the South Island. Ngai Tahu visited Lake Ōhau as part of their seasonal food gathering patterns. It was well known for eels and weka. These were gathered and preserved for the upcoming winter months. Population Lake Ōhau is probably one of the most unpopulated lakes in New Zealand. The Lake Ōhau Alpine Village has 140 sections and around 30 houses, of which the majority are holiday homes. The Village population was increasing, before the 4 October 2020 wildfire destroyed 48 houses in the Village. Visitors are often astounded by the peace and quiet around Lake Ōhau. Despite this, Lake Ōhau has benefited from tourism and visitors come all year round to visit Lake Ōhau. Stargazing Lake Ōhau with its clear unpolluted skies and small population is known for the quality of the stargazing. In 2012, a 4300 square kilometer area was declared the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, the boundary of which follows the eastern shore of Lake Ōhau. This is one of only eight in the world. Farming Farming has been the main economic activity around Lake Ōhau since the late 1800s. Several large high country stations existing in the immediate vicinity. Eileen McMillan wrote a 508 page book entitled "Frugal Country and Hard on the Boots" that covers the history of Lake Ōhau including farming in the region. In 1857 the land south and east of Lake Ōhau, Benmore Station, was leased to brothers George and Edmund Hodgkinson and Ronald McMurdo. In the 1870s, the Benmore Station comprised 101 500 hectares and 65 000 sheep. In 1859 land at the head of the lake was leased and this high country station was known as the Lake Ohau Station. These huge high country stations were eventually broken up (around 1916) into smaller holdings as the population was unhappy about a small number of people owning the majority of the land. Sheep and beef farming continues to the present around Lake Ōhau. Skiing Ohau Ski Field is located on the western shore of the lake and is a 20 minute drive up a 9.6 km well-formed access road from the Lake Ohau Lodge. It is well known for its consistent snow, variety of runs and friendly atmosphere . The skifield was established in 1953 on Mount Sutton.