Blue lake rotomairewhenua in new zealand. Emerald Lake, New Zealand. The deepest lake in the country

Within the borders of the very southwest, the region has one interesting lake called Houroko. The lake is not large, its area is 63 square kilometers. Nearby are lakes Monowai and Poteriteri, and Houroko lies between these lakes. And a little further away is the country's southernmost lake, Hakapaua. A few kilometers south of Lake Houroko rises Mount Caroline Peak, whose height is 1704 meters. From the lake to the largest fjord there are only 18 kilometers, but this road is very difficult and impassable. Houroko lies in a remote area and there is no bus service there. There is only one road leading to the lake, which leads to road number 99 in the Clifden area. The section of this road, approximately 10 kilometers from the lake, is of poor quality. There is no asphalt surface here, the road is strewn with fine gravel, but it is quite flat. The rest of the road is in very good condition. The closest settlement is a small town, about 35 kilometers east of the lake.

The deepest lake in the country.

The main reason for interest in Lake Houroko is not only its beauty. This lake is the deepest lake in the world and ranks seventeenth in the list of the deepest lakes in the world. Its depth is 462 meters. When you imagine that under your boat there is a layer of water almost half a kilometer deep, you can’t help but tremble. Houroko is also one of the southernmost lakes in the world. Lake Houroko stretches from north to south and is very long, but narrow. If you sail on a boat on the lake, you get the impression that you are floating on a river. Its length from north to south is 40 kilometers, and its width does not exceed three kilometers. Even on a speedboat you have to cross the length of the lake, at least an hour. If you look at the lake from a bird's eye view, the lake resembles the Latin letter "s". The water in the lake is very clean and cold, probably due to its depth and alpine location, since it is located at an altitude of 150 meters above sea level. Lake Houroko has a connection with the ocean. In the southernmost part of the lake, the Wairaurahiri River flows out of it, which carries the waters of the lake into the ocean. The distance from the shores of the lake to the shores of the ocean is 20 kilometers.

Tourism.

The lake is not yet an object of tourist pilgrimage. There are no hotels, motels or restaurants here. There is no tourist infrastructure in the lake area. Nearby hotels and restaurants are located in and the distance to which is from eighty to one hundred kilometers. There is, however, a small hotel in the town of Tuataper, but the town is not a tourist site and therefore there are no proper conditions here, although you can spend another night. The hotel has a refrigerator, hot water, internet and all other necessary conditions. The route of one of the most difficult tourist routes, the Dusky Trek, whose length is 68 kilometers, passes through the lake. You don’t often see people on the lake; sometimes local farmers come to relax, mostly on weekends. But you can do good fishing on the lake.

Damn island.

Mary Island is located in the eastern part of Lake Houroko. This is the largest of all the islands in the lake. Many local myths are associated with this island. They say that this island was cursed by Maori sorcerers. Whether this is true or not, we don’t know about it. Local Maori deny this fact. The lake and the island did not cause any harm to people. Let's hope that the stories about the cursed island are myths and legends, folklore. But be that as it may, in order to avoid troubles, it is better to admire the island from the outside, otherwise who knows, anything can happen.

Lake Houroki is very beautiful. Uninhabited area, snowy mountain peaks surrounding the lake on all sides and nature untouched by human hands. All this creates unforgettable impressions, and the memories remain in our memory for a lifetime.

Lake Taupo is New Zealand's largest lake. It is located in the administrative district of Waikato in the center of the North Island in the caldera of a dormant volcano of the same name. Along with our Baikal, Lake Taupo is a unique and valuable repository of fresh water reserves on Earth.

Lake Taupo on the map

• Geographic coordinates (-38.785717, 175.896058)
• The distance from the country's capital, Wellington, is approximately 300 km in a straight line.
• The nearest airport is 5 km south of Taupo in the northwestern part of the lake

About 30 rivers flow into the lake, and one single, but the longest and largest river in New Zealand flows out - the Waikato. In the Maori language it means "water flowing into the sea."
Lake Taupo is not only the largest in New Zealand. This is the largest freshwater lake in the entire South Pacific Ocean. And the second largest (after Lake Murray in Papua New Guinea) in all of Oceania.

Lake Taupo in numbers

• Length – 40.5 km
• Width – up to 28 km
• Lake area – 616 km 2
• Absolute height above the sea - 356 meters
• Coast length – 153 kilometers
• The volume of water is estimated at 59 km 3
• The average depth of the lake is 110, and the maximum reaches 186 meters

About 26,500 years ago, a powerful volcanic eruption occurred in these places (also known as the Oruanui eruption), as a result of which a depression was formed. It began to gradually fill with river waters, which changed their course and began to flow into the nascent lake. The rains also partially filled it with water. As a result, after some time a full-fledged lake was formed. In its southeastern part there is a small island called Motuteiko. Its dimensions are 560 by 400 meters.

In ancient times, the volcano, in the caldera of which Lake Taupo lurks, was quite active. About 70,000 years ago there was a major eruption. Scientists have calculated that it can be estimated at 8 points. Then, about 1170 km 3 of volcanic ash and lava were thrown out from the bowels of the planet. Large eruptions were noted in 180 AD. The last volcanic eruption known to history was recorded in 210 AD. Since then, the area around has been uninhabited for several decades. Only in 1280 did the Maori tribes return here.

Nature and climate of Lake Taupo

The lake has a temperate maritime climate. The daily maximum temperatures recorded here range from 23.3 o C in January and February to 11.2 o C in July, while the minimum temperature at night ranges from 11.6 o C in February to 2.2 o C in July. Rain can occur at any time of the year, but the highest rainfall is recorded in winter and spring, from June to December.

Life is in full swing both in the waters of the lake and on its coast. The surrounding area is covered with dense thickets of coniferous and beech forests, ferns and various shrubs.
In the depths of the lake there are geothermal springs that have become home to colonies of sponges and several species of invertebrate organisms.
The aquatic environment is abundantly inhabited by crayfish, small sprat and cocopa, rainbow and brook trout, which were introduced from North America and Europe in the 19th century. And the food for the trout was smelt, brought from there. Now the fish population has multiplied greatly, which cannot but please fishing enthusiasts. Fishing is one of the most favorite pastimes on the lake, both for tourists and local residents. Here it is quite possible to catch trout weighing 10 kg.

Attractions of Lake Taupo

Tourism is a major component of Taupo's commercial sector. More than 2 million visitors a year come here. The largest influx of travelers is observed in the high summer season during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Volcanoes

Not far from the lake are the active volcanoes Ruapehu (2797 meters high) and Ngauruhoe (2291 meters high).

Rock art

Lake Taupo is also famous for its rock carvings. In particular, the Maori bas-relief on the Mine Bay rock, which depicts a face. It is more than 10 meters high and can only be seen by getting to it by boat, speedboat or kayak. It is noteworthy that this image did not appear in ancient times, but quite recently. They were created on the rocks in the late 1970s by Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell and John Randall. The face of the chief of the Tuharetoa tribe is carved into the rock. According to legends, he lived about a thousand years ago. The sculpture is designed to protect the lake and its surroundings from destructive volcanic eruptions. Now it is not only a kind of totem, but also another attraction popular among tourists.

100 km north of Lake Taupo is Hobbiton - a real hobbit village. These are large-scale sets for filming films about the mysterious country of Middle-earth. It is worth visiting this interesting place and remembering the famous scenes about the “halflings”.

5 kilometers from the source of the Waikato River, downstream, in a place where the width of the river from 90 meters sharply decreases to 15, Huka Falls (in the original Huka falls) was formed. This is a turbulent water stream about 250 meters long.

And two kilometers from Huka Falls along Karapiti Road there is another interesting place called Craters of the Moon. As you guessed, these are natural formations very similar to the craters of our satellite.

Nelson Lakes National Park is home to the clearest body of water in the world. This is the “Blue Lake”, which the Maori call Rotomairewhenua. The New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) conducted a scientific experiment here in 2011, which showed that the Blue Lake is the most transparent natural body of water known to man. According to studies, visibility in the lake reaches up to 80 meters - which means that it is as “optically transparent” as distilled water.

The waters of nearby Lake Constance pass through rocks, which serve as a natural filter, and feed the Blue Lake, which is characterized by blue-violet hues. The water temperature in it ranges from 5 to 8°C.

The indigenous people of New Zealand - the Maori - consider Blue Lake sacred, so no people are allowed to enter it. In early 2013, Danish photojournalist and environmentalist Klaus Thymann received special permission to photograph the site from Māori, NIWA and the New Zealand Department of Environmental Conservation. It is his photographs that you see here.

New Zealand's Tongariro National Park is located Emerald Lake Sa Morakot. It is famous for the extraordinary color of its water, changing depending on the lighting and time of day from pale blue to emerald green.

Thanks to underground hot springs, the lake water is highly mineralized and very warm. The reason for Sa Morakot's unusual color is the high concentration of minerals in the water.

From highways Emerald Lake located at some distance. You can get to it on foot, passing through a one and a half kilometer clearing or along a path. This road is much longer, but very picturesque and much more interesting than the first. It leads through mangroves and tropical rainforest.

Emerald Lake It has the shape of a lens, which is why it seems quite shallow, despite its three-meter depth. Its size is no more than ten meters in diameter. The reservoir is formed by underground springs, bringing from the depths of the earth many minerals containing copper sulfate. This explains the blue tint at the bottom of the lake. If you look closely, you can see the springs that feed Sa Morakot in the clear water. The water of the sources is warmer than the temperature at the surface of the reservoir. For this reason, an interesting effect is created, as if in hot weather from asphalt heated up during the day.

Emerald Lake- a real miracle of nature. The place is so peaceful that it is a pleasure to just sit there, listen to the sounds of the forest and admire the beauty of the lake.

New Zealand is famous for its natural attractions, many pristine places and unique climate. One of the most popular and picturesque tourist routes runs past two unusual lakes - Pukaki and Tekalo - which are separated by a mountain ridge and amaze eyewitnesses with heavenly-colored water. It seems that these are not lakes at all, but real pools!

A nice bonus only for our readers - a discount coupon when paying for tours on the website until August 31:

• AF500guruturizma - promotional code for 500 rubles for tours from 40,000 rubles
• AFTA2000Guru - promotional code for 2,000 rubles. for tours to Thailand from 100,000 rubles.

And you will find many more profitable offers from all tour operators on the website. Compare, choose and book tours at the best prices!

Our review will be dedicated to one of these amazing bodies of water, namely Lake Pukaki. The lake is located in the most beautiful corner of the South Island, which is part of New Zealand.

Azure Pond is one of three lakes that are located high in the mountains, south of the Mackenzie Basin. The hero of our review belongs to lakes of glacial origin, and the water level is maintained thanks to the flow of water that comes down from the mountains during the melting of glaciers. Perhaps this is why the lake has such an unusual sky-turquoise hue. The area is almost 178 square meters. km, and the altitude above sea level exceeds 500 meters!

In addition to glaciers, the Tasman River, which connects with it in the northern part, is responsible for replenishing the reservoir with fresh water. But another river with the same name originates from the southern bank.

Since New Zealand has always strived to use the potential of nature for peaceful purposes, the government of the country has not ignored our reservoir. For several decades, Pukaki has been an important part of the island's hydroelectric power system, and water from it flows through specially created canals directly to the Ohau A hydroelectric station. It is thanks to the lake that the local population can enjoy the delights of civilization and use electricity.

By the way, the New Zealand estuary was not always so large-scale. Until the 1940s, the maximum depth of the lake did not exceed 20-25 meters. Since there was an urgent need to increase the capacity of water, work was carried out to deepen the reservoir, first by 9 meters, and later by almost 40 more. This is what caused the flooding of a small area of ​​land, which was located in the middle of the water surface.

Unusual and interesting facts about the lake

The water temperature in Pukaki almost never rises above 7 degrees. It’s easy to guess that this is facilitated in every possible way by the glaciers that feed it.

If you believe the results of the research, the approximate age of the lake is at least 16 thousand years. Just imagine that since that distant time, practically nothing has changed here. After all, the human factor had virtually no impact on pristine nature.

Another interesting fact is related to the local power plant, which converts the lake water into electrical energy. It turns out that the installation has an impressive power that reaches 105 megawatts. As mentioned earlier, water enters the station through a special canal, which is laid from the river of the same name.

But regarding the true name and its origin, controversy continues to this day. If you believe the local legend, the reservoir owes its unusual name to its discoverer, Raikaikhait. And translated from the local dialect, Pukaki means something like “Bound Water.”

According to another legend, the lake was named after the great warrior, and later the leader of the Maori tribe that once lived in these parts. If you believe the legend, then for many years the local lands simply drowned in rivers of blood that were shed by warring tribes. In order for peace to finally reign in these parts, the leaders of the warring tribes decided to bind both clans with the strongest ties - the bonds of marriage. When a boy was born into the family of young descendants of the leaders, he was named Pukaki, and from that moment on there was no more strife between the tribes.

As the years passed, Pukaki became more and more courageous, became a true leader and lived up to the hopes of the great Maori people. He is considered the greatest peacemaker in New Zealand history. And that is why in 1990 it was decided to immortalize the warrior on a 20-cent coin. Today you can find such a coin in any souvenir shop. And don’t pass by, because the great warrior is depicted on the coin not with a spear, but in the form of a well-fed boy frozen in a yoga pose.

If you watched the recently released film about the continuation of the adventures of the well-known Hobbit, then the Misty Mountains, which are shown in the film, were copied from the local landscapes. Dragons lived in them. Who knows, maybe real mountains were once the abode of huge creatures that spewed fire from their mouths and could fly?

Getting to know the lake

As soon as you find yourself alone with the wonderful landscapes of sky-blue waters, which are carefully hidden from human eyes by huge mountains, you understand how magnificent a creator nature can be. Like a huge stone scarf, the mountains encircle the marvelous estuary, complementing the already unique image with their snow-white caps. Indeed, can the best “Photoshop” reflect such a rich spectrum of colors? Can the highest quality lens convey the spirit of these places? Of course not!

The lake is located in a kind of dead end and far from settlements. To get to the nearest town you will have to travel more than 9 km along winding paths and roads that are not always covered with asphalt.

The best viewing platform for viewing all the delights of this paradise is Mount Cook, which is equipped with an information center. The view that opens from here can be the envy of not only mortals, but also the Gods!

You can get to the lake by rented car. As a rule, there are no excursion buses, much less public transport, here. And so that the road does not seem so difficult and you do not get lost among the rocks, it is better to stock up on a map in advance and set up a navigator in your car.

Two more articles about New Zealand: Bridge to Nowhere and Waitomo Firefly Cave - read on our website.