30-619: The Tekapo River flows occasionally through the Mackenzie Basin , Canterbury , in New Zealand 's South Island , although the riverbed is now often dry in the upper reaches. It maintains a constant flow below the confluence of several tributaries, notably the Maryburn, Forks, and Grays rivers. The lower reaches (below the Maryburn confluence) are popular with anglers chasing brown and rainbow trout, although recent infestation by
60-463: A change in conditions of Meridian Energy 's resource consent controlling the water levels and flows of Lake Pukaki. The change allows Meridian to lower the lake a further five metres (16 ft) from the minimum level of 518 metres (1,699 ft) above sea level in the event of an energy crisis. There was previously a seasonal Ngāi Tahu food-gathering settlement on the southern shore of Lake Pukaki called Punatahu. The closest town to Lake Pukaki
90-466: A number of related facilities located there, including the nation's premier astronomical observatory, the University of Canterbury 's Mount John University Observatory , and several amateur observatories. Astronomy-related tourism is an increasing contributor to the area's economy, with more astro-tourism ventures in development near Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook village (planetarium) and Omarama. Each June
120-422: A particularly heavy snow melt or if the power stations or canal need servicing, water may spilt from either the dam or canal back into the riverbed. These events are much anticipated by kayakers , to the extent that they have been known to re-shape parts of the riverbed to create "better" rapids. In 2020, there were warnings of potential water spill. Normally, its summer maximum level is set at 709.8 meters above
150-447: A sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age was 31.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 156 people (13.2%) aged under 15 years, 357 (30.2%) aged 15 to 29, 567 (48.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (8.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 71.6% European/ Pākehā , 4.3% Māori , 2.0% Pasifika , 20.1% Asian , and 7.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas
180-849: A southward direction. The basin is drained by the Waitaki River . Prominent rivers crossing the Mackenzie Basin include the Ahuriri , the Hakataramea and the Tekapo Rivers. Lakes Ōhau , Pukaki , Alexandrina and Tekapo lie within the Mackenzie Basin, as do the artificial hydroelectric lakes of Ruataniwha , Benmore and Aviemore . Sparsely populated, and with only four settlements ( Lake Tekapo , population <500; Mount Cook Village , population <150; Twizel , population <1,000; and Omarama , population <400),
210-521: A threat to the black stilt (or kakī), an endangered river wading bird. A captive breeding programme was set up and it is administered by the Department of Conservation . The Mackenzie Basin is one of the areas where wilding conifers proliferate. These weed trees cover large areas sometimes to a very high density and therefore excluding native vegetation and reducing the amount of available pasture. Some areas have control measures in place to prevent
240-598: Is Twizel , 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the south of the lake and Tekapo is 47 km (32 minutes drive) to the northeast. State Highway 8 skirts the southern end of the lake, and State Highway 80 runs north along the length of its western shore, to Mount Cook Village in the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park . The nearby Pukaki Scientific Reserve is home to the Nationally Endangered moth species Izatha psychra . State Highway 8 runs along
270-615: Is an elliptical intermontane basin located in the Mackenzie and Waitaki Districts , near the centre of the South Island of New Zealand . It is the largest such basin in New Zealand. Historically famous mainly for sheep farming , the sparsely populated area is now also a popular tourism destination. The basin was named in the 1850s by and after James Mckenzie , a shepherd and would-be farmer of Scottish origin. Mckenzie
300-591: Is located entirely within South Canterbury . Using State Highway 8 , it can be accessed via Burkes Pass (elevation 709m / 2,326 ft) from the north and the Lindis Pass (elevation 965m / 3,166 ft) from the south, or via State Highway 83 through the Waitaki Valley from the east. Aside from these passes, the terrain is generally highest at the northern end and gradually descends in
330-403: The 2023 census, Mackenzie Lakes had a smaller boundary, covering 5,134.25 km (1,982.35 sq mi). Using that boundary, Mackenzie Lakes had a population of 1,182 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 300 people (34.0%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 399 people (51.0%) since the 2006 census . There were 375 households, comprising 585 males and 597 females, giving
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#1732801694134360-521: The Department of Conservation for the potential ecological effects, and since it may clash with a proposed Mackenzie Basin Drylands Park. 44°03′36″S 170°27′00″E / 44.06000°S 170.45000°E / -44.06000; 170.45000 Lake Pukaki Lake Pukaki ( Māori : Pūkaki ) is the largest of three roughly parallel alpine lakes running north–south along
390-644: The Mackenzie Country comprises an area of huge glacial lakes and snow-capped mountains, particularly favoured by tourists and skiers. The Ōhau skifield near Omarama, and Roundhill and Mount Dobson Ski Areas at Lake Tekapo, are small commercial skifields popular amongst many living in Canterbury and Otago. The Mackenzie Country is frequently utilised as the principal and second-unit location for television commercials, documentaries, and motion pictures, including much of Peter Jackson 's epic The Lord of
420-504: The Rings film trilogy and The Hobbit film trilogy . Gliding is another common activity within the Mackenzie Basin, and the area was host to a Gliding World Cup event in 1995, as well as being the home of several gliding clubs, airfields, and numerous private glider pilots, of both amateur and professional status. Due to its clean, dry and dark sky, the Mackenzie Basin serves as an important area for New Zealand-based astronomy , with
450-655: The annual mid winter star party is held at new moon on the Omarama airfield. In June 2012, an area of 430,000 hectares (1,100,000 acres) including Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park and the Mackenzie Basin was declared the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association . At the time of the designation in 2012, the reserve was the largest in the world, and
480-440: The disproportionally high number of threatened plant species in the Mackenzie Basin. The plan attracted opposition at submission hearings. There is currently a high demand for water to irrigate the Mackenzie Basin, with 126 resource consents from 36 applicants before Environment Canterbury as of mid-2009. The water would be used to irrigate an area of 27,125 hectares (67,030 acres), but the schemes are opposed by many locals and
510-553: The edge of Lake Pukaki. Numerous crashes have occurred here as drivers have come around a blind corner, seen Lake Pukaki and wanted to stop at an unsafe location to enjoy the view. A significant scrub fire burnt on the shores of Lake Pukaki in August 2020. Both State Highway 8 and SH80 were closed. Firefighters fought the fire with 14 monsoon bucket equipped helicopters, two fixed-wing aircraft, and 10 fire engines. The fire destroyed 3500 hectares and took 12 days to put out. $ 1 million
540-468: The extremely finely ground rock particles from the glaciers. Lake Pukaki covers an area of 178.7 km (69.0 sq mi), and the surface elevation of the lake normally ranges from 518.2 to 532 metres (1,700 to 1,745 ft) above sea level. The lake is fed at its northern end by the braided Tasman River , which has its source in the Tasman and Hooker Glaciers , close to Aoraki / Mount Cook . To
570-606: The invasive algae didymo ( Didymosphenia geminata ) has somewhat limited angling opportunities. Originally, the river flowed southwest for 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the southern end of Lake Tekapo before joining with the Pukaki River and flowing into the northern end of Lake Benmore . However, the water from Lake Tekapo is now diverted via a canal to Lake Pukaki as part of the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme . These lakes are used to store water, and occasionally during
600-452: The northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin on New Zealand's South Island . The others are Lakes Tekapo and Ōhau . All three lakes were formed when the terminal moraines of receding glaciers blocked their respective valleys, forming moraine-dammed lakes . The Alps2Ocean mountain bike trail follows the edge of Lake Pukaki for part of its length. The glacial feed to the lakes gives them a distinctive blue colour, created by glacial flour ,
630-570: The only reserve of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. The statistical area of Mackenzie Lakes corresponds to the portion of the Mackenzie Basin within the Mackenzie District. It includes Mt Cook Village and Lake Tekapo, but not Twizel. Mackenzie Lakes covers 5,139.71 km (1,984.45 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,440 as of June 2024, with a population density of 0.28 people per km . Before
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#1732801694134660-610: The sea level whereas it reached 709.9m at one point. 44°20′S 170°12′E / 44.333°S 170.200°E / -44.333; 170.200 This article about a river in Canterbury, New Zealand is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mackenzie Basin The Mackenzie Basin ( Māori : Te Manahuna ), popularly and traditionally known as the Mackenzie Country ,
690-406: The southern shore of the lake. There is a life size bronze statue of a Himalayan Tahr standing upon a boulder near the visitor centre on the southern shores of Lake Pukaki, This was the site of a protest by hunters fighting against the Department of Conservation’s controversial tahr culling programme in 2020. The lake is now part of the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme . The lake's original outflow
720-413: The trees from spreading. Rabbits are a common invasive species in the area affect both agricultural production and biodiversity . Rabbit numbers dropped after the introduction of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RCD) but are now increasing. The Department of Conservation has plans to drop sodium fluoroacetate (1080) laced poison bait to control the rabbit numbers. This is seen as necessary due to
750-458: The west of Lake Pukaki lies the Ben Ohau mountain range with Ben Dhu (1,607 metres; 5,272 ft) and Betty Hill (1,601 metres; 5,253 ft) closest to the lake. On the eastern side there is some farmland on the flatter contours between Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. Good views of the taller mountains in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park , 70 kilometres (43 mi) to the north can be had from
780-644: Was $ 36,500, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 141 people (13.7%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 780 (76.0%) people were employed full-time, 117 (11.4%) were part-time, and 3 (0.3%) were unemployed. The original vegetation cover prior to human settlement has been completely transformed in the basin and indeed most of the surrounding Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands ecoregion, initially due to fires lit by Māori and European settlers, and in more recent times by farming activity and by pests. The extensive network of canals for hydroelectric schemes posed
810-429: Was 43.4, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 55.6% had no religion, 31.0% were Christian , 1.8% were Hindu , 1.0% were Muslim , 2.8% were Buddhist and 2.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 279 (27.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 81 (7.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income
840-922: Was at its southern end, into the Pukaki River . The outflow has been dammed, and canals carry water from Lake Pukaki and Lake Ōhau through the Ōhau A power station to Lake Ruataniwha . Pukaki is also fed by the waters of Lake Tekapo , which are diverted through a canal to a power station on Pukaki's eastern shore (Tekapo B station). The lake has been raised twice to increase storage capacity (by 9 metres (30 ft) in 1952, and 37 metres (121 ft) in 1976), submerging Five Pound Note Island, which once appeared on New Zealand's five pound note. The current lake has an operating range of 13.8 metres (45 ft) (the level within which it can be artificially raised or lowered), giving it an energy storage capacity of 1,595 GWh. Along with Lake Tekapo's 770 GWh storage, it provides over half New Zealand's hydroelectricity storage capacity. In September 2012, Environment Canterbury approved
870-474: Was captured for allegedly stealing sheep; he herded his flocks in what was then an area almost totally empty of any human habitation, though Māori previously lived there intermittently. After his capture, the area was soon divided up amongst new sheep pasture stations in 1857. The basin extends approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) north to south, and 40 kilometres (25 mi) east to west. The Southern Alps constitute its western edge. The Mackenzie Basin
900-512: Was spent fighting it. Environmentalists believe that the spread of wilding pines in the Mackenzie District along with the dry conditions allowed the scrub fire to become so destructive. The Pukaki Scientific Reserve is a small scientific reserve of 32 hectares (79 acres) located on the western side of Lake Pukaki next to the Mount Cook road. The Pukaki Scientific Reserve is home to the endangered Izatha psychra moth. The Lake Pukaki area
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