Why do people use the Waitaki River?
Water from the Waitaki River system has been used to generate electricity since the 1930s. A series of hydro dams generate from the rivers and canals and storage from the created lakes of Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki. The Waitaki hydro system generates around 20-25 per cent of New Zealand’s electricity.
Where is the Waitaki River?
The large braided Waitaki River flows off the mountains to drain into the Waitaki Lakes (a network from which New Zealand’s largest hydro power scheme was built), to the lower reaches of the braided Waitaki river to finally reach the Pacific Ocean.
What does Waitaki mean in Maori?
weeping waters
The generally accepted meaning of the name is weeping waters. “Waitaki” is a southern Maori variant of the northern Maori “Waitangi”.
How many dams are on the Waitaki River?
Waitaki was the first power station to be built on the Waitaki River. It was also the first station in New Zealand to be built without diverting the natural river flow. The station was built in stages, starting with a cofferdam to divert water to the south side of the river.
What is the oldest dam in NZ?
Waitaki Dam (1934)
How long is the Waitaki River?
130 miWaitaki River / Length
What is Waitaki famous for?
Traditionally a rural and farming district, Waitaki’s tourism market is booming. There are so many attractions and activities including beautiful lakes, ski fields, tramping and camping biking the Alps to Ocean cycle trial, fishing and hunting, surf beaches and rivers.
Where does the Waitaki River start?
Southern AlpsWaitaki River / Source
It starts at the confluence of the Ōhau and Tekapo rivers, now at the head of the artificial Lake Benmore, these rivers being fed by three large glacial lakes, Pukaki, Tekapo, and Ōhau at the base of the Southern Alps.
Is Oamaru a Maori word?
Oamaru, town and port, southeastern South Island, New Zealand. Its name comes from a Maori term meaning “place of sheltered fire.”
How old is the Waitaki Dam?
The lake is created by the Waitaki Dam, a 36m high concrete gravity dam built between 1928 and 1934. Waitaki Dam was the first hydroelerctic dam built on the Waitaki river.
…
| Lake Waitaki | |
|---|---|
| Primary inflows | Waitaki |
| Primary outflows | Waitaki |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Surface elevation | 230 m (750 ft) |
What is the biggest dam in NZ?
The Benmore power station is located on New Zealand’s largest manmade lake – Lake Benmore – and is New Zealand’s largest earth dam.
What is the biggest dam in the world?
Three Gorges Dam, China is the world’s largest hydroelectric facility. Accroding to Wikimedia, the Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, China.
Where can I fish in Oamaru?
There are some several great locations for kayak-fishers to base themselves – Oamaru Harbour, Moeraki Peninsula, Shag Point and Karitane are good examples – with lots of good reef structure close inshore (i.e. within a kilometre) and generally clear water enabling productive sea fishing.
Is Oamaru worth visiting?
Oamaru is definitely worth visiting. This small town has plenty of things to see and do. Oamaru is worth visiting for its Victorian architecture, blue penguins, incredible marine life, walking tracks, art galleries and Steampunk HQ.
What does Timaru mean in Maori?
place of shelter
Made a borough in 1868 and a city late in the 1940s, Timaru derives its name from Maori terms meaning either “shady cabbage tree” or “place of shelter.”
What is the Maori name for Dunedin?
Ōtepoti is the Māori name for upper harbour area where Dunedin city was developed.
Where is the biggest power plant in NZ?
Manapōuri is the largest hydro power station in New Zealand, and is located on the edge of Lake Manapōuri’s West Arm in the Fiordland National Park, which has UNESCO World Heritage status as part of Te Wāhipounamu.
Which is the oldest dam in the world?
Quatinah Barrage / Lake Homs Dam, Syria
The Quatinah Barrage or Lake Homs Dam, located in Syria, is the oldest operational dam in the world. The dam was constructed during the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Sethi between 1319-1304 BC, and was expanded during the Roman period and between 1934 and 1938.
What is the deepest dam in the world?
Parker Dam
What you see is not what you get at Parker Dam, known as “the deepest dam in the world.” Engineers, digging for bedrock on which to build, had to excavate so far beneath the bed of the Colorado River that 73 percent of Parker Dam’s 320-foot structural height is not visible.
What fish can you catch in Dunedin?
Dunedin is Otago’s main city and trout fishing close by is maintained by stocking Sullivan’s Dam, Southern Reservoir (both water supply reservoirs) and Tomahawk Lagoon with trout. The water reservoirs are open year round and anglers can use fly or spinning methods.
Can you fish at St Bathans?
The Blue Lake is a key feature of modern-day St. Bathans and is used for swimming, fishing, bodyboarding, and kayaking.
Can you see penguins in Oamaru?
Oamaru is best known for its incredible wild penguin viewing opportunities and for good reason. The blue penguin population is thriving and yellow-eyed penguins can also be seen both in Oamaru itself and very nearby.
What is Oamaru known for?
Oamaru is the largest town in the Waitaki District; most famous for its penguin colony and limestone architecture of the Victorian Precinct – but that’s just the beginning of what the town has to offer. and bike park for the kids.
What do you call people from Dunedin?
Nicknames: Edinburgh of the South; Dunners (colloquial)
What is the Māori name for Queenstown?
Tahuna
Nestled on the banks of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown (Māori name Tahuna) is one of New Zealand’s most loved tourist and holiday destinations. The town is settled right at the lake’s edge, surrounded by scenic mountain ranges. The Wakatipu Basin was created by glacial movement some 15,000 years ago.