Lake Manapouri, South Island

“Lake Manapouri is a lake in the South Island of New Zealand. Its name is Maori for “sorrowful heart”, though this name is misapplied due to an early cartographical error (the real Lake Manapouri was North Mavora Lake, which lies some distance to the east). Local Maori called Lake Manapour,i Moturau, which means “many islands”.

Lake Manapouri has four major arms, North, South, West and Hope, and the smaller indentations of Calm Bay and Shallow Bay. The lake contains some 34 islands, 22 of which are wooded. The largest of these is Pomona Island, which lies close to the centre of the lake. Other large islands include Holmwood island, Rona Island, and Mahara Island.

The Waiau River is both a natural inflow and outlet for the lake, flowing into the northeast of the lake from Lake Te Anau, 20 kilometres to the north, and flowing out from Manapouri’s southeastern end. The lake’s catchment is also largely served by the slopes of the Kepler Mountains, Turret Range and Hunter Mountains which surround all but the eastern shore of the lake. The small settlement of Manapouri lies on the eastern shore between the inflow and outflow of the Waiau, and is a popular destination for tourists.

The lake provides hydro-electric power via Manapouri Power Station, in West Arm, which discharges water through two 10-km tailrace tunnels to Doubtful Sound and the sea. In 1959 it was proposed to raise the lake by up to 30 metres for the power station. This resulted in a strong nationwide protest lasting over a decade, which prevented the raising of the lake from taking place.

That campaign, the ‘Save Manapouri Campaign’, is regarded as a major milestone in the history of New Zealand’s environmental protection. The lake levels are carefully controlled to be close to natural fluctuations. The lake is within Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site.

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