Lake Poerua ( mi, Pouerua) is a shallow
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
located in the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
region of New Zealand's
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 ...
roughly 13 km southeast from
Lake Brunner
Lake Brunner ( mi, Kōtuku Moana or ) is the largest lake in the West Coast Region of New Zealand, located southeast of Greymouth. The main settlement, Moana, New Zealand, Moana, is on its northern shore. It is an important settlement and ways ...
. It is located between the Alexander Range and the slopes of
Mount Te Kinga, to the north of the lake. The area around Lake Poerua is sparsely populated. A number of small
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
s flow into the lake, and the
Poerua River flows from the lake into the
Crooked River, which leads to Lake Brunner.
The first description of the lake by Europeans comes from the journeys of
Julius von Haast
Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast (1 May 1822 – 16 August 1887) was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch.
Early life
Johann Franz Julius Haast was born on 1 May 1822 in Bo ...
, who explored the West Coast region in the 1860s. The lake is bounded on its eastern side by the main fault scarp of the Alpine Fault, and is believed to be very recent in geological age. Lake Poerua sits on the Australia-Pacific plate boundary, with granite rock from the Australian plate to the west and metasedimentary rocks from the Pacific plate to the
east.
The lake is popular with trout fishermen and is easily accessible from the adjacent road. The lake has submerged or partly submerged tree stumps and large granite boulders at or below the waterline that can present a hazard for boating.
The lake is just to the north of the settlement of
Inchbonnie, and Lake Brunner Road (linking
State Highways 7 and 73) and the
Midland Line railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
run along the eastern shore of the lake.
The lake and surrounding area has been a popular place for visitors and picnics.
A wetland on the shores of the north end of Lake Poerua has been identified in a schedule of Significant Wetlands of the West Coast Region, published by Westland Regional Council.
References
External links
Kingfisher Fly Fishing - Lake Poerua, West Coast, New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poerua
Grey District
Lakes of the West Coast, New Zealand