Lake Maraetai

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
Location	North Island
Coordinates	38°21′59″S 175°47′09″E / 38.3664°S 175.7858°E / -38.3664; 175.7858
Lake type	Reservoir
Basin countries	New Zealand
Surface area	4.4 km^2 (1.7 sq mi)
Max. depth	75 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

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

• Mighty River Power's Maraetai page