Lake Aviemore or Mahi Tikumu is a man-made lake in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

, part of the Waitaki

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

scheme. Immediately upstream is

Lake Benmore Lake Benmore is New Zealand's largest artificial lake. Located in the South Island of New Zealand and part of the Waitaki River, it was created in the 1960s by construction of Benmore Dam. Characteristics The lake has an area of about 75 ...

and downstream

Lake Waitaki Lake Waitaki is the smallest, oldest and most downstream of the three man-made lakes on the Waitaki River, and forms part of the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme in New Zealand's South Island. It lies downstream of lakes Aviemore and Benmore on the ...

. Aviemore lies on both sides of the border between the

Waimate Waimate is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand and the seat of Waimate District. It is situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. The town is reached via a short detour west when travelling on State Highway One, the main No ...

and Waitaki districts. It is part of the traditional boundary of the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

regions, although, officially, the border has been moved southward to include the lake, as well as the entire northwestern portion of the

Waitaki District Waitaki District is a territorial authority district that is located in the Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It straddles the traditional border between the two regions, the Waitaki River, and its seat is Oamaru. ...

in the Canterbury Region. The

Otematata Otematata is a town in the Waitaki District of Otago in New Zealand's South Island. It is defined as a "populated area less than a town" and the 2001 New Zealand census gave the "usually resident population count" as 243. By the 2018 census it ...

settlement situated on State Highway 83 is just west of the lake, and was built in 1958 as a base for the construction of the Aviemore and Benmore Dams. Closer to the lake the old village Wharekuri which encompasses Aviemore was populous in the 1860s. The

Aviemore Dam The Aviemore Dam is a dam on the Waitaki River in New Zealand. The dam is a composite dam, with an embankment section, and a concrete section. Built in the 1960s (and completed in 1968) it impounds Lake Aviemore. Aviemore Dam is owned and opera ...

, completed in 1968, is the newest of the three dams on the Waitaki river. It is made out of both earth and concrete. By continuing the sinuous course of the river after the lake, one encounters Parsons Rock, named after Reverend J.C. Andrew (''The Parson'') who usually gave

Christmas day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

sermon there. A story goes to say that stolen gold taken from the Wharekuri Hotel was hidden near Parsons Rock.The suspects were to be apprehended but no money was ever found by the authorities in the hiding place. In both Lake Aviemore and Benmore, one can fish salmon and trout year round except in September. Two main events are held on Lake Aviemore, there is the Labour weekend ''Aviemore Classic Trailer yacht race'' and the ''Windsurfing Championships'' in January.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviemore, Lake Buildings and structures completed in 1968 Lakes of Canterbury, New Zealand Reservoirs in New Zealand