Pukaki
Pukaki is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- -44.22°, 170.17°
About Pukaki
The Pukaki River flows through the Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island.
Originally, the river flowed southwest for 15 kilometres (9 mi) from the southern end of Lake Pukaki before joining with the Tekapo River and flowing into the northern end of Lake Benmore. However, all water from Lake Pukaki is now diverted into a canal which is fed through three hydroelectric stations before being returned directly into Lake Benmore, as part of the Waitaki Hydroelectric scheme. Occasionally, water may be spilled down the riverbed when Lake Pukaki reaches its maximum height, or if a canal or power station requires servicing.
In 2010, Meridian Energy applied for resource consents to build a 35 MW power station at Pukaki's gate 18. Consent was granted for the project in July 2011. Consent for the project expires in 2021.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Pukaki River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pukaki: Key Facts
| Length | 15 km |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q2117684 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Pukaki: Quick Answers
- Where is Pukaki?
- Pukaki is located in New Zealand, at 44.2232° S, 170.1726° E.
- Are there dams on the Pukaki?
- No dam on the Pukaki is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.