Lake Brunner/Kōtukuwhakaoka is the largest lake in the West Coast region, but also one of the hardest to get to. It’s miles from the state highway that runs along the coast and most of it can only be reached by boat. It’s so deep, shelves so steeply from shore, and looks so black in colour (from tannins in the water ) that locals believed it was bottomless, though the deepest point is just over 100 metres. Kahikatea can tolerate wet roots, so they dominate the lake edge as if permanently in flood.