Situated on private land, this lovely lake is open to the public.
Take a stroll around the lake, sit on a bench and enjoy the still water with some water fowl, and you may even see a fish eagle overhead. In spring and early summer there are azaleas ablaze with colour and wild flowers underfoot. The most stunning show is in Autumn when you feel as if you are in New England. The leaves turn red, yellow, bronze and orange before falling to carpet both ground and lake in colour. It is quite breath taking! A photographer’s delight as the water reflects the show on the trees.
Winter has its own magic here, with mist rising from the water. There is an ethereal feel about the place.
“Lake Kenmo is the creation of the late Kenneth Lund and his wife, Mona (the “Ken” and “Mo” of Kenmo), who bought the Southern Berg farm, Hazeldene, in 1937.
The couple were both tree lovers but few indigenous trees can tolerate the sharp temperature variations – nor the howling winds – of winter in this part of the Drakensberg. So the Lunds started experimenting with exotic trees and created Hazeldene Nursery, planting about 4 000 trees a year on the farm and selling or donating the balance.
The entire district became enthusiastic: the dramatic metamorphosis of maple trees during autumn is a bit different to acacias’ more predictable change of seasonal looks. They noticed the Lunds cultivating oak, plane, poplar, elderberry, alder, birch, cypress, liquid-amber, crab-apple, tulip trees as well as flowering cherries and many other varieties.
Ken and Mona created a large nature reserve around an artificial lake on the farm, carefully choosing trees that would reflect colours in the water.
After his death in 1982, Ken’s ashes were scattered at his beloved Kenmo and the family then decided to open the lake to the public as his personal legacy to the people of the district. ”
” Visitors to Kenmo often show an interest in acquiring some of the exotic trees for their own properties and the Lund’s Hazeldene Tree Nursery now specialises in this type of stock which is sold as established three- to four-metre-high trees. ”
Photos incl work by Huck Oban (Spring & Winter), Prakesh Bhirkha (side trees)
Sani Road, Himeville, South Af...
Sani Road, Himeville, South Af...
1 Clayton Street, Himeville, 3...
