Ghost Lake in Little Hawaii
@ Tai Ngau Wu 大牛湖

Little Hawaii, Hong Kong

sea, lake, river, water related

MTWTFSSall-day

abys / Hong Kong

Tired of hypocrites & boasts in office, longing for a mix of work with travel.

2 Mar 2018

A disappeared artificial lake, located in Little Hawaii between Tseng Lan Shue and Yau Yue Wan (today's Po Lam). The history of Tai Ngau Wu started in early 1900s. A Canadian businessman named Alfred Herbert Rennie built "Rennie's Mill" in this place. In order to make use of hydropower for flour making, he put up three dams along the landscape forming a reservoir 14m deep. Two years later, Rennie ran into a big debt due to poor management of the mill, and ended his life by drowning himself in Lei Yue Mun Strait. The public was once misinformed about his death that he hanged himself. This incident gave the site its Chinese name "吊頸嶺" (Tiu Keng Leng), meaning "hanging (neck) ridge". Due to inauspicious meaning of the name, it was later changed to similar-sounding "調景嶺" (Tiu King Leng), which can be interpreted as "ridge of adjusting situation".
Ghost Lake in Little Hawaii
Passing the upstream of Little Hawaii Waterfall towards Tseng Lan Shue, the lower dam (which is comparatively intact) will show up, with a small reservoir behind.
lower dam (comparatively intact)
lower dam (comparatively intact)
lower reservoir
lower reservoir
Going up the trail, you will discover the middle and upper dams, which are completely damaged. The mill itself is long gone without leaving a trace. Until 1950, a local businessman reconstructed this site, forming a swimming pool decorated with gardens and pavilions. Initially it attracted large amount of swimmers. Unfortunately, not long after its opening, a number of children were drowned to death, forcing the swimming pool to close permanently. This is where its nickname "Ghost Lake" comes from.
upper dam (already damaged)
upper dam (already damaged)
upper reservoir of Rennie's Mill, later turned into a swimming pool
upper reservoir of Rennie's Mill, later turned into a swimming pool
Despite Rennie's suicide and drowning of swimmers, this beautiful yet poignant scene gradually became famous among both local and foreign travellers. Since then, it earned its name "Little Hawaii".
Little Hawaii Trail waypoint on Tseng Lan Shue side
Little Hawaii Trail waypoint on Tseng Lan Shue side
"bridge for water pipe" in Wilson Trail (stage 3) near Tseng Lan Shue
"bridge for water pipe" in Wilson Trail (stage 3) near Tseng Lan Shue
* * * article collected under abys / Hong Kong * * *
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