Lake Maraetai is one of several artificial lakes formed as part of a hydroelectricity scheme on the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand.[1] It is located 85 kilometres (53 mi) southeast of Hamilton, close to the town of Mangakino.

Lake Maraetai
Lake Maraetai from Mangakino
Lake Maraetai from Mangakino
Location of Lake Maraetai
Location of Lake Maraetai
Lake Maraetai
LocationNorth Island
Coordinates38°21′59″S 175°47′09″E / 38.3664°S 175.7858°E / -38.3664; 175.7858
Lake typeReservoir
Basin countriesNew Zealand
Surface area4.4 km2 (1.7 sq mi)
Max. depth75 m (246 ft)

It is a relatively small lake, covering only 4.4 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi), but it is 75 metres (246 ft) deep at some points, and the powerhouses (Maraetai I and Maraetai II) at its northern end generate 360 megawatts (480,000 hp) of power.

Mercury Energy weed cutter about to be launched to remove hornweed, which has been a problem[2] since the 1960s[3]

References edit

  1. ^ "Place name detail: Lake Maraetai". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  2. ^ "Water weed traps young swimmer". Stuff. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Environment Waikato Technical Report 2010/24 Assessment of the ecological condition of lakes in the Waikato region using LakeSPI – 2010" (PDF).

External links edit