Lake Manapouri

tony
May 20, 2018
landscape / New Zealand / travel / Uncategorized

Our South Island adventure began with a trip across Lake Manapouri to the West Arm before heading over Wilmot Pass to Doubtful Sound. Flying south we had passed over a weather front that had left a dusting of snow on a picture perfect Fiordland. With the front well predicted by the weather service, I had left booking our Doubtful Sound trip as late as possible. The forecast had suggested Wednesday would be the best day and it could not have been better. Calm, clear and dry it was almost the antithesis of a typical Fiordland day. My rain jacket wasn’t even unpacked from my camera bag!

Heading up the Waiau River into Lake Manapouri

We departed Pearl Harbour on the Waiau River just as the sun was rising over Lake Manapouri. The cold air resulted in steamy clouds rising from the lake which were impressively backlit by the early morning sun. The calm conditions gave a smooth ride across the lake and a perfect platform for viewing the freshly snow sprinkled landscape.

Looking across Lake Manapouri. Stony Point in the foreground with the dark mass of Pomona Island behind the smaller sunlit Holmwood Island.

Lake Manapouri is the second deepest in New Zealand at 444m. The small village of Manapouri is the only settlement which leaves the 170km shoreline of the lake largely undeveloped and wild. Pomona Island is the largest inland island in New Zealand and is being restored by Pomona Island Charitable Trust in association with the Department of Conservation. Predator trapping is maintaining an environment that supports some of our rare birds, notably Mohua (Yellowhead) and the Haast Tokoeka Kiwi. Being located within swimming distance of the shore makes pest control an ongoing activity.

The West arm of Lake Manapouri is best known for the West Arm Power Station. An impressive engineering feat that generates hydroelectric power to feed the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. The original plan was to flood Lake Manapouri to support this generation but widespread public protest resulted in this being tightly controlled to avoid damage to the shoreline of the lake and it’s 33 small islands. This achievement makes Manapouri a celebrated landmark in the environmental consciousness of New Zealand.