Manapouri | |
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Manapouri township | |
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Coordinates: 45°34′01″S167°36′41″E / 45.5669°S 167.6115°E | |
Country | New Zealand |
Island | South Island |
Region | Southland region |
Territorial authorities of New Zealand | Southland District |
Ward | Mararoa Waimea Ward |
Community | Fiordland Community |
Electorates |
|
Government | |
• Territorial authority | Southland District Council |
• Regional council | Southland Regional Council |
• Mayor of Southland | Rob Scott |
• Southland MP | Joseph Mooney |
• Te Tai Tonga MP | Tākuta Ferris |
Area | |
• Total | 1.36 km2 (0.53 sq mi) |
Elevation | 200 m (700 ft) |
Population (June 2023) [2] | |
• Total | 240 |
• Density | 180/km2 (460/sq mi) |
Local iwi | Ngāi Tahu |
Manapouri is a small town in Southland / Fiordland, in the southwest corner of the South Island, in New Zealand. The township is the westernmost municipality in New Zealand. [3] Located at the edge of the Fiordland National Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Manapouri, close to its outflow into the Waiau River, tourist boat services are based in the town.
Manapouri township is a 20-minute drive from Te Anau via State Highway 95 The town is the gateway to both Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound and the starting point for many local walking tracks. It is a popular tourist destination, particularly during the summer months.
At the intersection of State Highway 95 and Hillside Road is a monument to the Save Manapouri campaign which marks the first mass environmental movement in New Zealand history.
The Manapouri Hydroelectric Power Station is located on the West Arm of Lake Manapouri, with most of the electricity generated serving the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter (which is announced to close at the end of 2024). [4] Workers at the power plant are ferried by boat from Manapouri, as there is no road access to the power station. Manapouri was declared the "highest consumer of water" in New Zealand in 2010 because of the power station, which consumes 41 percent of the fresh water consumed by the entire country. [5] In 2002, the Government rejected an application of a business, Southland Water 2000, to bottle 40,000 cubic metres of water in 20 hours, twelve times a year, before the water from the power station is released into Doubtful Sound. [6]
Manapouri is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 1.36 km2 (0.53 sq mi), [1] and had an estimated population of 240 as of June 2023, [2] with a population density of 176 people per km2. It is part of the larger Mararoa statistical area. [7]
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
2006 | 294 | — |
2013 | 201 | −5.29% |
2018 | 222 | +2.01% |
Source: [8] |
Manapouri had a population of 222 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 21 people (10.4%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 72 people (−24.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 102 households, comprising 117 males and 108 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.08 males per female. The median age was 56.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 21 people (9.5%) aged under 15 years, 30 (13.5%) aged 15 to 29, 111 (50.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 63 (28.4%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 94.6% European/Pākehā, 9.5% Māori, 1.4% Asian, and 4.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.1% had no religion, 41.9% were Christian and 2.7% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (14.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 51 (25.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $30,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 15 people (7.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 108 (53.7%) people were employed full-time, and 36 (17.9%) were part-time. [8]
Commercial services include a petrol station/garage, art gallery, cafes, shops, two restaurant and bars as well as overnight hotel, motel and motor camp accommodations. The small Te Anau Airport is situated 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of the township and serves both Te Anau and Manapouri.
There are several tourist boat excursions based in Manapouri to service the Fiordland Sounds to fishing charters and boat hire. Excursions originating at Pearl Harbour at the southern end of Manapouri township take tourists across Lake Manapouri to view the underground hydroelectric facility, or continue on by bus over Wilmot Pass to boat tours of Doubtful Sound, adding up to a full day trip.
Day walks are the Circle Track, the Hope Arm Track, the Shallow Bay portion of the Kepler Track and the Frazers Beach Reserve [9] walkways.
Supply Bay Road and the Rainbow Reach area are reasonably cycle-friendly. The Manapouri-Te Anau Cycle trail is currently still under negotiation between the Department of Conservation and the Fiordland Trails Trust.
A natural monument, in the form of Monument Hill, lies across the lake from the township. This sharply pointed landmark beneath the Hunter Mountains to the west on Manapouri township is a prized destination for adventurous trampers.
The eastern end of Lake Manapouri is open for kayak exploration, with 20 islands and many coves, beaches, lagoons, waterfalls, huts, portages and channels with in a day's return paddled from Manapouri township.
Manapouri was a site of filming for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. During a late snowstorm one November, Manapouri Hall was used to film the scene in The Two Towers in which Frodo, Samwise and Gollum attempt to enter the black gates of Mordor. [10] According to Jackson, the townspeople only asked for a small fee for the film crew to use the hall but the production gifted a large sum for the refurbishment of the hall and in acknowledgement of the town's generosity. [11] The crew was not allowed to use large granite boulders located in the forest near Lake Manapouri and instead created artificial rocks, two of which were gifted to the townspeople. Other locations near the town were used for filming, including the Kepler Mire (for panning, aerial shots of the Dead Marshes and other swamps), Waiau River (for various shots of the River Anduin) and Norwest Lakes (for the iconic shot of the fellowship traversing mountain peaks). [12] It is also rumoured that locations in the Fiordland National Park were used in The Ring of Power season one, as a film crew were spotted near Manapouri. [13]
Manapouri is home to the Wee Bookshop, made famous through the memoir of Ruth Shaw's. [14] The bookshops were built in 2020 and originally sold titles about the local region and conservation. [15] It now consists of three tiny bookshops [16] - one for adults, a smaller one for children, and now one for the blokes. [17]
Manapouri has an oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen climate classification with mild summers and cool to cold winters. In a typical winter season, snowfalls and snow on the ground are likely on a handful of occasions. [18]
Climate data for Manapouri (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1991-present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 32.0 (89.6) | 30.7 (87.3) | 28.8 (83.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 21.3 (70.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 16.1 (61.0) | 18.1 (64.6) | 22.3 (72.1) | 24.0 (75.2) | 26.4 (79.5) | 29.2 (84.6) | 32.0 (89.6) |
Mean maximum °C (°F) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.4 (81.3) | 24.6 (76.3) | 20.4 (68.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 14.7 (58.5) | 14.0 (57.2) | 15.0 (59.0) | 18.3 (64.9) | 21.0 (69.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 26.0 (78.8) | 28.6 (83.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.7 (69.3) | 20.5 (68.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 15.0 (59.0) | 11.8 (53.2) | 8.7 (47.7) | 8.3 (46.9) | 10.3 (50.5) | 12.9 (55.2) | 14.8 (58.6) | 16.7 (62.1) | 19.2 (66.6) | 14.8 (58.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) | 14.4 (57.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 9.6 (49.3) | 7.2 (45.0) | 4.5 (40.1) | 4.0 (39.2) | 5.3 (41.5) | 7.5 (45.5) | 9.3 (48.7) | 10.9 (51.6) | 13.3 (55.9) | 9.4 (48.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.6 (47.5) | 8.2 (46.8) | 6.3 (43.3) | 4.2 (39.6) | 2.5 (36.5) | 0.3 (32.5) | −0.4 (31.3) | 0.4 (32.7) | 2.2 (36.0) | 3.8 (38.8) | 5.2 (41.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 4.1 (39.4) |
Mean minimum °C (°F) | 0.9 (33.6) | 0.5 (32.9) | −1.3 (29.7) | −2.6 (27.3) | −3.5 (25.7) | −4.8 (23.4) | −5.5 (22.1) | −5.0 (23.0) | −4.1 (24.6) | −2.7 (27.1) | −1.7 (28.9) | 0.2 (32.4) | −6.1 (21.0) |
Record low °C (°F) | −3.6 (25.5) | −2.0 (28.4) | −5.5 (22.1) | −5.2 (22.6) | −5.9 (21.4) | −7.2 (19.0) | −10.2 (13.6) | −8.2 (17.2) | −5.9 (21.4) | −7.3 (18.9) | −3.7 (25.3) | −2.5 (27.5) | −10.2 (13.6) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 88.6 (3.49) | 85.3 (3.36) | 82.7 (3.26) | 85.0 (3.35) | 104.4 (4.11) | 91.4 (3.60) | 94.2 (3.71) | 82.0 (3.23) | 106.2 (4.18) | 113.0 (4.45) | 95.7 (3.77) | 97.4 (3.83) | 1,125.9 (44.34) |
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 9.5 | 8.0 | 9.6 | 10.2 | 12.3 | 11.9 | 11.7 | 10.9 | 12.0 | 12.7 | 10.5 | 11.0 | 130.3 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 77.5 | 83.3 | 86.2 | 88.5 | 91.0 | 92.1 | 92.3 | 91.8 | 86.0 | 82.6 | 76.9 | 76.0 | 85.3 |
Source: NIWA Climate Data [19] [20] |
Climate data for Manapouri (West Arm Jetty) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1962-present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.1 (88.0) | 28.1 (82.6) | 21.4 (70.5) | 16.6 (61.9) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 15.9 (60.6) | 19.8 (67.6) | 23.2 (73.8) | 27.5 (81.5) | 29.4 (84.9) | 31.6 (88.9) |
Mean maximum °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.4 (79.5) | 23.3 (73.9) | 18 (64) | 14.1 (57.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 16.2 (61.2) | 19.4 (66.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 25.9 (78.6) | 27.9 (82.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.1 (66.4) | 16.8 (62.2) | 13.2 (55.8) | 9.7 (49.5) | 6.7 (44.1) | 6.0 (42.8) | 7.9 (46.2) | 11.0 (51.8) | 13.2 (55.8) | 15.4 (59.7) | 17.9 (64.2) | 13.0 (55.5) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) | 14.2 (57.6) | 12.3 (54.1) | 9.6 (49.3) | 6.9 (44.4) | 4.2 (39.6) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.9 (40.8) | 7.2 (45.0) | 8.9 (48.0) | 10.8 (51.4) | 13.1 (55.6) | 9.2 (48.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) | 9.3 (48.7) | 7.8 (46.0) | 5.9 (42.6) | 4.1 (39.4) | 1.7 (35.1) | 0.7 (33.3) | 1.8 (35.2) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.7 (40.5) | 6.2 (43.2) | 8.3 (46.9) | 5.3 (41.5) |
Mean minimum °C (°F) | 4.1 (39.4) | 3.8 (38.8) | 2.5 (36.5) | 0.2 (32.4) | −1.1 (30.0) | −2.6 (27.3) | −3.7 (25.3) | −2.6 (27.3) | −1.7 (28.9) | −0.8 (30.6) | 0.9 (33.6) | 2.8 (37.0) | −4.3 (24.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) | −0.6 (30.9) | −0.7 (30.7) | −3.2 (26.2) | −4.4 (24.1) | −8.5 (16.7) | −7.9 (17.8) | −5.6 (21.9) | −3.4 (25.9) | −5.4 (22.3) | −3.1 (26.4) | −0.6 (30.9) | −8.5 (16.7) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 365.8 (14.40) | 249.4 (9.82) | 231.0 (9.09) | 275.3 (10.84) | 413.3 (16.27) | 271.2 (10.68) | 329.0 (12.95) | 253.7 (9.99) | 374.7 (14.75) | 377.3 (14.85) | 300.4 (11.83) | 311.8 (12.28) | 3,752.9 (147.75) |
Source: NIWA [21] [22] |
Milford Sound is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey and is acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling called it the eighth Wonder of the World. The fiord is most commonly accessed via road by tour coach, with the road terminating at a small village also called Milford Sound.
Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes, and its steep, glacier-carved and now ocean-flooded western valleys. The name "Fiordland" comes from a variant spelling of the Scandinavian word for this type of steep valley, "fjord". The area of Fiordland is dominated by, and very roughly coterminous with, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's largest National Park.
Middlemarch is a small town in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It lies at the foot of the Rock and Pillar Range of hills in the broad Strath-Taieri valley, through which flows the middle reaches of the Taieri River. Since local government reorganisation in the late 1980s, Middlemarch and much of the Strath-Taieri has been administered as part of Dunedin city, the centre of which lies some 80 km to the southeast. Middlemarch is part of the Taieri electorate, and is currently represented in parliament by Ingrid Leary. Middlemarch has reticulated sewerage but no reticulated water supply. A description of 1903, that "[T]he summer seasons are warm, but not enervating, and the winters cold, but dry" is still true today.
Fiordland National Park is a national park in the south-west corner of South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area covering 12,607 km2 (4,868 sq mi), and a major part of the Te Wāhipounamu a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in 1990. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation. The southern ranges of the Southern Alps cover most of Fiordland National Park, combined with the deep glacier-carved valleys.
Doubtful Sound / Patea is a fiord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. It is located in the same region as the smaller but more famous and accessible Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. It took second place after Milford Sound as New Zealand's most famous tourism destination.
Manapōuri Power Station is an underground hydroelectric power station on the western arm of Lake Manapouri in Fiordland National Park, in the South Island of New Zealand. At 854 MW installed capacity, it is the largest hydroelectric power station in New Zealand, and the second largest power station in New Zealand. The station is noted for the controversy and environmental protests by the Save Manapouri Campaign against raising the level of Lake Manapouri to increase the station's hydraulic head, which galvanised New Zealanders and was one of the foundations of the New Zealand environmental movement.
Lake Manapouri is located in the South Island of New Zealand. The lake is situated within the Fiordland National Park and the wider region of Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.
Oban is the principal settlement on Stewart Island, the southernmost inhabited island of the New Zealand archipelago. Oban is located on Halfmoon Bay, on Paterson Inlet. It has aircraft connections with Invercargill and a ferry service to Bluff.
Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of 344 km2 (133 sq mi), making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and the largest in the South Island. It is the second largest lake in Australasia by fresh water volume. The main body of the lake runs north-south, and is 65 km in length. Three large fiords form arms to the lake on its western flank: North Fiord, Middle Fiord and South Fiord. These are the only inland fiords that New Zealand has, the other 14 are out on the coast. Several small islands lie in the entrance to Middle Fiord, which forks partway along its length into northwest and southwest arms. The surface of the lake is at an altitude of 210 m. It has a maximum depth of 425 m, so much of its bed lies below sea level, with the deepest part of the lake being 215 metres below sea level.
Te Anau is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Māori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Te Anau is 155 kilometres north of Invercargill and 171 kilometres to the southwest of Queenstown. Manapouri lies 21 kilometres to the south. Te Anau lies at the southern end of the Milford Road, 117 kilometres to the south of Milford Sound.
Tiwai Point lies at the entrance to Bluff Harbour on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. A spit which extends from the western end of the Awarua Plain, it lies between Awarua Bay to the north and Foveaux Strait to the south. It is known for the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter, one of the largest industrial facilities in New Zealand.
The Eglinton River is located in the region of Southland in the southwest of New Zealand. It flows through Fiordland National Park for 50 kilometres (31 mi). Its headwaters are at Lake Gunn, 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Milford Sound, and it flows generally south before entering Lake Te Anau along the lake's eastern shore opposite the entrance to North Fiord.
Lake Hauroko is the deepest lake in New Zealand. The lake, which is 462 metres deep, is located in a mountain valley in Fiordland National Park.
Mount Cook Village, officially Aoraki / Mount Cook, is located within New Zealand's Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park at the end of State Highway 80, only 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of the summit of the country's highest mountain, also called Aoraki / Mount Cook, in the Southern Alps.
The Waiau River is the largest river in the Southland region of New Zealand. 'Waiau' translates to 'River of Swirling Currents'. It is the outflow of Lake Te Anau, flowing from it into Lake Manapouri 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the south, and from there flows south for 70 kilometres (43 mi) before reaching the Foveaux Strait 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Tuatapere. It also takes water from Lake Monowai.
Secretary Island is an island in southwestern New Zealand, lying entirely within Fiordland National Park. Roughly triangular in shape, it lies between Doubtful Sound / Patea in the south and Te Awa-o-Tū / Thompson Sound in the north, with its west coast facing the Tasman Sea. To the east of the island, Pendulo Reach connects Te Awa-o-Tū / Thompson Sound with Doubtful Sound / Patea. Steeply sloped, the entirely bush-clad island rises to a chain of several peaks higher than 1000 metres. The highest of these is the 1,196-metre (3,924 ft) Mount Grono, the highest peak in the main New Zealand chain not located in the North or South Island. The island also contains three lakes. The largest, Secretary Lake, over 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, is located beneath Mount Grono at an altitude of 550 metres (1,800 ft).
The Fiordland Trails Trust, New Zealand, was formed in March 2007, and is an Organisation, with Charitable and Donee Status. The Group was set up in response to the need for a recreational cycleway linking the Towns of Manapouri and Te Anau, much of which has high scenic and recreational values. The Trust aims to construct, Fund and Maintain regional multi use trails for the Department of Conservation In the Fiordland and Northern Southland area.
Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists of the southwestern portion of the South Island and includes Stewart Island. Southland is bordered by the culturally similar Otago Region to the north and east, and the West Coast Region in the extreme northwest. The region covers over 3.1 million hectares and spans 3,613 km of coastline. As of June 2023, Southland has a population of 103,900, making it the eleventh-most-populous New Zealand region, and the second-most sparsely populated. Approximately half of the region's population lives in Invercargill, Southland's only city.
The Murchison Mountains are a group of mountains in Fiordland National Park in New Zealand. It is the location where the South Island takahē, a type of bird presumed extinct, was rediscovered in 1948. The highest mountain is Mount Lyall at 1,892 metres (6,207 ft).
Mararoa is a rural area in New Zealand's Southland District. The area broadly corresponds to the course of the Mararoa River and the eastern part of Te Anau Basin, and includes the Mavora Lakes and the settlement of Manapouri.