why is lake pukaki so blue

Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Pure New Zealand (Photo series) – Travelers and Steed, Best places to Shoot Sunrise in Singapore, Sunrise at Chureito Pagoda and healing village of Nemba on Lake Saiko, Lightning Capital of the World - Singapore, The Jungle Trail of MacRitchie Reservoir Park, Infamous Bangla Road - Nightlife in Phuket, Japan Tourist Visa for Indians in Singapore - How to apply, Pure New Zealand (Photo series) - Travelers and Steed. Not really. As you drive further towards Mount Cook you’ll see more and more of Lake Pukaki.

"Izatha (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae)", "New $150,000 safe stopping area for crash prone road near Lake Pukaki", "Multiple calls to 'police comms' before fatal crash in Lake Pukaki", "Tourists took wrong turn before plunging off cliff into lake", "Two people seriously injured in crash near Lake Pukaki", "Sediments of Lake Pukaki, South Island, New Zealand", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lake_Pukaki&oldid=979864235, Articles using infobox body of water without alt, Articles using infobox body of water without pushpin map, Articles using infobox body of water without alt bathymetry, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, never (winter air temperatures can reach as low as −20 °C (−4 °F) though), This page was last edited on 23 September 2020, at 06:41. You’re probably wondering why it’s so blue…? The lake's original outflow was at its southern end, into the Pukaki River. Five Pound Note Island - Lake Pukaki, N.Z. READ MORE: Check out these fun things to do in Lake Tekapo and the Mackenzie Basin (so many mountain views!). Other times the lake is quite calm, meaning it reflects the sky and gets a bit glary. The glacial feed to the lakes gives them a distinctive blue colour, created by glacial flour, the extremely finely ground rock particles from the glaciers. I kept asking myself, “how is Lake Pukaki so blue?“. Lake Pukaki covers an area of 178.7 km², and the surface elevation of the lake normally ranges from 518.2 to 532 metres above sea level. The following two tabs change content below. Exif of each shot – 1/80 sec, f/11, ISO50, 19mm  The section between Lake Tekapo and the turnoff to Mount Cook National Park is nice too but we never seem to strike it in the right light. A travel blogger from New Zealand who has just returned home after 6 years abroad. No doubt the lakes here in New Zealand are stunning, but Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki are in a class of their own, both so …

The lake has been raised twice to increase storage capacity (9m in 1952, and 37m in 1976 ),[5] submerging Five Pound Note Island, which once appeared on New Zealand's five pound note. The nearby Pukaki Scientific Reserve is home to the Nationally Endangered moth species Izatha psychra. The last time we visited the sky was clear (apart from a few clouds which allowed for some nice contrasting colours) and it was very windy. Lapse between each shot – 3 Sec The others are Lakes Tekapo and Ohau. The lake is fed by the Tasman River, which has its source in the Tasman and Hooker Glaciers. Make sure to stop at Peter’s Lookout – it’s well signed and is one of the top spots for seeing Lake Pukaki from above. Again, there are a few viewpoints to stop at and you can easily get down to the edge of the lake. We crunched nearly 4000 km in 14 days, saw countless sheep, dipped in glacial lakes, saw mighty glaciers, walked in Lupin (flower) fields, stayed in pristine valleys, jumped from a tiny plane from 15,000 feet, played in the mud, and saw bluest pools!

Hiking the Peak Hill Track, Lake Coleridge, 5 of the Best Things to Do in Waimate, South Canterbury, 9 of the Best Things to Do in Clyde, Central Otago, 10 of the Best Things to Do in Cromwell, Central Otago, Hiking the Sutton Salt Lake Track, Middlemarch, The Scenic Drive from Christchurch to Akaroa, things to do in Lake Tekapo and the Mackenzie Basin. Lake Pukaki: So blue! Lake Pukaki covers an area of 178.7 km², and the surface elevation of the lake normally ranges from 518.2 to 532 metres above sea level. Also check out the Waitaki Valley (Benmore Peninsula Track, Elephant Rocks) and the scenic drive to Queenstown through the Lindis Pass. Sometimes the clouds roll in which dulls the blue a bit.

Lake Pukaki is one of the largest glacial lakes in South Island. ), which is finely ground rock particles from the nearby glaciers. The glacial feed to the lakes gives them a distinctive blue colour, created by glacial flour, the extremely finely ground rock particles from the glaciers. I reckon wind is the key – it means the lake doesn’t become glary and the blue really comes out. READ MORE: Check out our South Island road trip itinerary!

Learn how your comment data is processed. All three lakes were formed when the terminal moraines of receding glaciers blocked their respective valleys, forming moraine-dammed lakes. As water melts below glaciers, it grinds stones and minerals from the mountains to a very fine flour. 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 closest town to Lake Pukaki is Twizel, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the south of the lake and Tekapo is 47 km (32 minutes drive) to the northeast. The change allows Meridian to lower the lake a further five metres from the minimum level of 518m above sea level in the event of an energy crisis.[6]. I could be wrong though – I’m no lake colour expert!

In September 2012, Environment Canterbury approved a change in conditions of Meridian Energy's resource consent controlling the water levels and flows of Lake Pukaki. There aren’t any major viewpoints along this stretch but there is generally room on the side of the road to pull over. Four large lakes on New Zealand’s South Island stand out for their distinctive turquoise color. You’ll drive around the shores of Lake Pukaki when driving between Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook (or between Twizel and Mount Cook) and if you’re lucky enough to strike it on a nice day you’ll be blown away by how blue it is.

As water melts below glaciers, it grinds stones and minerals from the mountains to a very fine flour. It’s because of glacial flour (don’t worry, it’s the first time I’ve heard that term too!

It’s a surreal place to see and is one of the main reasons why the road to Mount Cook is (in my opinion) the most scenic in New Zealand. Well, I haven’t seen them all, but it’s a pretty safe bet. The current lake has an operating range of 13.8 m (the level within which it can be artificially raised or lowered), giving it an energy storage capacity of 1,595 GWh. Lake Pukaki is the largest of three roughly parallel alpine lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin on New Zealand's South Island. A number of 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. We’ve driven to Mount Cook four times now (which makes it eight times we’ve driven that road) and it has been a bit of a mixed bag. The water colour of the lake is a bright turquoise due to glacial flour, made from extremely fine rock particles that have come from the surrounding glaciers.

Cheers. Lake Pukaki covers an area of 178.7 km², and the surface elevation of the lake normally ranges from 518.2 to 532 metres above sea level.[2].

Number of images shot – 502 The outflow has been dammed, and canals carry water from Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau through the Ohau A power station to Lake Ruataniwha. The best place to see Lake Pukaki is on the road between Twizel (or just outside Twizel) and Mount Cook. Till then check out this time-lapse video, I shot on 27 November 2017.

There’s also the Lake Pukaki Track – we haven’t done that as I can’t imagine the views being any better (you can see Lake Pukaki from so many angles when driving) – let me know if you’ve done it though! As seen in this natural-color satellite image, Lake Pukaki, Lake Tekapo, Lake Ohau, and Lake Benmore all have remarkably light tones in comparison to the dark blue waters of Lake Wanaka and Lake … This glacial flour gives the lake its distinct blue-green color. You need to see it in real to believe it. Along with Lake Tekapo's 770 GWh storage, it provides over half New Zealand's hydroelectricity storage capacity. A New Zealand Lake has been named among the world's clearest waters by an American travel publication.

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