 It is close to the coast and near the rural settlements of Pukekura and Hari Hari, and State Highway 6 runs along the eastern shore of the lake on its route between Ross and the Franz Josef Glacier.The lake is popular for boating, swimming, and trout fishing.In the early 20th century, a privately run bush tramway was established from the end of the New Zealand Railways Department's Ross Branch railway to logging interests in the Lake Ianthe area.