Zealand freshwater mussel (Hyridella menziesi) is found in Lake Brunner. It is the only South Island lake with the calanoid copepod Boeckella delicata. Fishing Fishing for eels at the lake was popular amongst both Māori and European settlers. Today, though, Lake Brunner is one of New Zealand's most significant brown trout (Salmo trutta) fisheries, and is often referred to as "the place where fish die of old age". There are also small numbers of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Rainbow trout originate in North America, and brown trout are a European game fish introduced throughout New Zealand following the establishment of a hatchery in Tasmania in the 1860s. In 1891, 15,000 young trout were transported from Greymouth by rail to stock the lake. Smelt (Retropinna retropinna) were also liberated in Lake Brunner to serve as food for trout, but did not establish. Trout are caught from boats in the shallow lake waters, especially Iveagh Bay, or by fly fishing in the Orangaipuku, Hohonum or Crooked Rivers and the mouth of the Arnold River. The fish are abundant but not large—only 1 to 1.5 kg. The temperate West Coast climate means trout can still be caught in winter, when in the cooler eastern South Island lakes they are much less active. Recreation The lake was early on recognised for its natural beauty, and in 1887 a tourist account celebrated the impending railway, and the lake "soon will be dotted with handsome villas, the summer residence of the aristocracy of Greymouth and the surrounding districts." Sailing was a popular early activity, and in 1892 the first regatta attracted a trainload of 350 sightseers. The growth of tourism led to the opening in 1931 of the 22-room Grand Chateau Moana, which went bankrupt the following year. A motor camp was built in 1959 in Moana, and a jetty, slipway, and car park in 1961. In the 1960s building a holiday home or "bach" at Moana or Iveagh Bay became popular with Christchurch or Greymouth families. There are boat launching ramps at Moana, Te Kinga (with lake access at Cashmere Bay), and Mitchells. Iveagh Bay was once a backwater, but has rapidly-increasing numbers of expensive holiday mansions. Swimming, kayaking, waterskiing, and jetskis are all popular at Lake Brunner. Because the lake is fed from surrounding forest, not snow, it can reach pleasant temperatures in summer. The lake is surrounded by bush walks: Carew Falls and