Lake Rotopounamu (also known as Greenstone Lake, from the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

(lake) and (greenstone)) is a secluded lake in the Pihanga Scenic Reserve, in the

Tongariro National Park Tongariro National Park (; ) is the oldest national park in New Zealand,Department of Conservation"Tongariro National Park: Features", retrieved 21 April 2013 located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as a World H ...

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 ...

's Central North Island. It lies at the northwest foot of Mt

Pihanga Pihanga is a andesitic volcanic peak in the North Island Volcanic Plateau, located to the north of Mount Tongariro, between Tongariro and Lake Taupo. Lake Rotoaira lies to the south-west of Pihanga, and the smaller Lake Rotopounamu is situated ...

, and was formed by a landslide around 10,000 years ago. The lake is fed by seven streams, but has no visible surface outflow. It is believed to drain underground.

Recreation

Around the lake is a scenic loop track, which can be accessed from the

Saddle road (State Highway 47) between Turangi and

Tongariro Mount Tongariro (; ) is a compound volcano in the Taupō Volcanic Zone of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the southwest of Lake Taupō, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of th ...

. Walking this track takes about two hours.

References

Tongariro Volcanic Centre Taupō District Rotopounamu {{Waikato-geo-stub