Lake Monowai
| Lake Monowai | ||
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| Lake Monowai 2005 | ||
| Geographical location | Southland District , Southland , New Zealand | |
| Tributaries | Walker River, Eel Creek | |
| Drain | Monowai River | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 45 ° 52 ′ 0 ″ S , 167 ° 26 ′ 0 ″ E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 180 m | |
| surface | 31 km² | |
The lake monowai is a lake in Fiordland in the region Southland on the South Island of New Zealand and a station of the Southern Scenic Route . The 31 km² large lake is located in the southern part of the Fiordland National Park , 120 km northwest of the city of Invercargill . It is located in a long, U-shaped curved section of the valley. The outflow of the lake takes place in the northeast through the short Monowai River , which flows into the Waiau River after 8 km .
The eastern end of the lake can be reached via a road from the northeastern settlement of Monowai . There are only a few shelters in the unpopulated area around the lake.
Hydroelectric power plant
One of the oldest hydropower plants on the South Island, the Monowai Power Station , which opened in 1925 , is fed by the water from the lake. It is located at the confluence of the Monowai River and the Waiau River.
Plans to dam the lake in order to achieve a greater height difference and thus more output for the power plant were abandoned in 1970 by the Labor government under Norman Kirk . An independent organization, the Guardians of Lake Manapouri , Monowai, and Te Anau , has been set up to monitor water levels.