Lake Pukaki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Pukaki is the second-largest of three roughly parallel alpine lakes running north-south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin (the others are Lakes Tekapo and Ohau). All three lakes were created by receding glaciers blocking their respective valleys with their terminal moraine. The glacial feed to the lakes gives them a distinctive blue colour, created by glacial flour (extremely finely ground rock particles from the glaciers). It covers an area of 80 km², and is at an altitude of 480 metres above sea level.
The lake is fed at its northern end by the braided Tasman River, which has its source in the Tasman and Hooker Glaciers, close to Aoraki/Mount Cook. Good views of the mountain, 70 kilometres to the north, can be had from the southern shore of the lake.
The lake's outflow is at its southern end, into the Pukaki River. The lake is an upper part of the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme, and there are several dams and canals near its outflow, linking it with lakes Tekapo and Ruataniwha. The lake has been raised twice to increase storage capacity, submerging Five Pound Note Island, which once appeared on New Zealand's five pound note.
[edit] External links
 |
This Canterbury, New Zealand-related geography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
