Today, renting a pedal or row boat from $70 an hour is the park's main attraction, especially for families with children, who find the boats easy to manoeuvre - provided their legs are long enough to reach the pedals.

The lake is a pocket of nature surrounded by lush vegetation and stocked with turtles, geese, ducks and hungry goldfish. You can buy bread from the boat stand for $7 to feed them.

You can stretch your legs with a walk along the reservoir road or grab a bite to eat at the water-side Cafe Pier, which is big on atmosphere, but has a limited menu of snacks. The Beer House on the stairs near the park entrance is another option, or you can pack your own lunch to eat out on the water with the fish. Life-vests in child sizes are provided on request.

How to get there: By bus - take the number 6B or 61 from Central Exchange Bus Terminus. Get off at the petrol station at the Wong Nai Chung Reservoir Park stop on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road. The park is a five- to 10-minute walk uphill following the signs to Parkview. A taxi ride will cost $50 to $60 and take 20 minutes. Parking is available at a small covered car park, the first left turning on Tai Tam Reservoir Road, or at a metered car park marked by the trailhead of the Wilson/Hong Kong hiking trails.

Tips and comments: Plan to spend a couple of hours here - longer if you add a walk around the country park. The park is busy at the weekend and bank holidays, so check in on arrival with the boat stand to obtain a number on the waiting list. Toilets are at the park entrance, but there are no baby-changing facilities and the park isn't stroller-friendly. If feeding fish is a priority for your

children, plan your boating trip for the morning when they're still hungry.

Admission: Free to park. Boats costs $70 per hour for a row boat and up to $100 for a four-seater pedal boat Monday to Friday; and $90 for a rowboat and $80 to $120 for pedal boats at weekends and public holidays.

Opening times: Monday to Friday, 1pm-5pm; weekends and public holidays, 9am-6pm.

Address: Tai Tam Reservoir Road (off Wong Nai Chung Gap Rd), Hong Kong Island. Inquiries:

2508 1234

This is an edited extract from Hong Kong for Kids: A Parent's Guide by Cindy Miller Stephens (SCMP Books, $148), available at Dymocks bookstores

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