Pukaki River
| Pukaki River | |||||
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| location | Canterbury Region , South Island (New Zealand) | ||||
| River system | Waitaki River | ||||
| Drain over | Tekapo River → Waitaki River → Pacific | ||||
| origin |
Lake Pukaki 44 ° 11 ′ 27 ″ S , 170 ° 8 ′ 48 ″ E |
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| muzzle | in the Tekapo River coordinates: 44 ° 18 ′ 39 ″ S , 170 ° 13 ′ 50 ″ E 44 ° 18 ′ 39 ″ S , 170 ° 13 ′ 50 ″ E
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The Pukaki River is a river in Mackenzie Basin in the Canterbury region on the South Island of New Zealand .
The river originally ran from the southern end of Lake Pukaki 15 km in a southerly direction to then merge with the Tekapo River and flow into the northern end of Lake Benmore . Today, however, all of Lake Pukaki's water is diverted into a canal that passes three hydroelectric power stations before flowing into Lake Benmore. These plants are part of the hydropower project on the Waitaki River and its tributaries.
The river now only occasionally carries water when Lake Pukaki has reached its highest level or when the canal and power stations are being serviced.