Lake Wahapo

Lake Wahapo (Māori: Wahapako) is a small glacial lake in South Westland, New Zealand, within the Westland Tai Poutini National Park and near the township of Whataroa. It was a traditional mahinga kai (food-gathering place) for local Māori. State Highway 6 skirts the lake's southern shore. The lake discharges to the Ōkārito River via a small hydroelectric power station commissioned in 1960. The ecology of the lake has altered considerably since 1967, when the Waitangitāhuna River changed course to flow into the lake.

Lake Wahapo
Wahapako (Māori)
Wahapako (Māori)
Lake Wahapo
Lake Wahapo
Location of Lake Wahapo in New Zealand
LocationWhataroa, Westland District, South Island
Coordinates43.249°S 170.266°E / -43.249; 170.266
Primary inflowsWaitangitāhuna River
Primary outflowsŌkārito River
Catchment area90 km2 (35 sq mi)
Basin countriesNew Zealand
Max. length2.6 km (1.6 mi)
Max. width1.2 km (0.75 mi)
Surface area2.3 km2 (0.89 sq mi)
Shore length16.8 km (4.2 mi)
Surface elevation48 m (157 ft)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.