Lake Coleridge

{{Infobox body of water

| name = Lake Coleridge

| native_name = {{native name|mi|Whakamatau}}{{cite book |first=Rosemary |last=Britten |title=Lake Coleridge: The Power, the People, the Land |location=Christchurch, New Zealand |publisher=Hazard Press| year=2000 |isbn=1877161888 |pages= 382 pages.}}{{rp|62,64}}

| image = Lake Coleridge New Zealand (2168055700).jpg

| alt = Lake Coleridge, looking northwest from the southern end

| caption = Lake Coleridge, looking northwest from the southern end

| image_bathymetry =

| image_map = {{Infobox mapframe |zoom=9|point=none|shape-fill-opacity=0|stroke-width=1}}

| pushpin_map = New Zealand South Island

| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Coleridge

| caption_bathymetry =

| location = Selwyn District, Canterbury region, South Island

| coords = {{coord|43|17|S|171|30|E|region:NZ_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}

| type =

| inflow = Harper, Wilberforce, Acheron

| outflow = Rakaia River (via Coleridge Power Station)

| catchment =

| basin_countries = New Zealand

| length = {{convert|11|km|abbr=on}}{{cite book |section-url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/coleridge-lake |section=COLERIDGE, LAKE |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |editor1-last=McLintock |editor1-first=A. H. |last1=Suggate |first1=Richard |date=1966 |access-date=4 January 2021}}

| width = {{convert|4.8|km|abbr=on}}

| area = {{convert|47|km2|abbr=on}}

| depth =

| max-depth = {{convert|200|m|abbr=on}}

| volume =

| residence_time =

| shore =

| elevation =

| islands =

| cities =

}}

Lake Coleridge ({{langx|mi|Whakamatau}}) is in inland Canterbury, New Zealand's South Island. It is located {{convert|35|km}} northwest of Methven and has a surface area of {{convert|47|sqkm}}. The lake is situated in an over-deepened valley formed by a glacier{{rp|16}} over 20,000 years ago in the Pleistocene era. It currently has no natural outflows. There is a small settlement at the lake.{{cite web|title=Lake Coleridge|url=http://www.selwyn.govt.nz/background/coleridge.htm|publisher=Selwyn District|accessdate=17 March 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014043930/http://www.selwyn.govt.nz/background/coleridge.htm|archivedate=14 October 2008}}

Ecology

Early colonial explorers found the shores of the lake covered in mānuka (or kānuka), kōwhai, cabbage trees, flax and general swamp plants. The lake was also surrounded by southern rātā trees and native beech trees. The lake itself was fairly lacking in aquatic plants because of a lack of nutrients. It was known for a population of large eels.{{rp|29}}

Human activity has significantly changed the ecology. Colonial settlers introduced game fish, including rainbow trout, brown trout, Atlantic salmon and Chinook salmon.{{rp|32}} Changing water levels caused by the operation of the Coleridge Power Station killed most of the kānuka in 1914 and rata in 1923.{{rp|143}} In modern times a mixture of native and introduced plants surround the lake, including matagouri, broom, gorse, briar, coprosma and biddi-biddi.{{rp|25}}

History

File:Lake Coleridge New Zealand Road (2167259565).jpg looking north.]]

= Pre-history =

The area of the lake was formed by glacial erosion, probably during the Waimaungan, Waimean and Otiran glaciations.{{rp|19}} The lake sits close to multiple geological fault-lines, including the Porters Pass Fault, the Cass Fault and the Blue Hill Fault.{{rp|19}}

= Māori =

There is evidence of Māori activity in the area dating back potentially as far as the 13th century. Some nearby archaeological campfires and moa bones were carbon-dated to between 1340 and 1420 AD.{{rp|62}} Although the area was initially thickly forested, large fires destroyed most of the vegetation between 1200 and 1400.{{rp|36}} Later, the lake became an important stopping place for coastal tribes making the difficult journey between the east and west coasts to obtain pounamu: the lake’s abundant eels, weka and water fowl could be used to replenish stocks on the long journey.{{rp|62}}

= Colonisation and modern times =

File:Map of Canterbury by Thomas, 1849.JPG on which he named Lake Coleridge ]]

The lake was named by the chief surveyor of the Canterbury Association, Joseph Thomas, on a sketch map prepared in early 1849. The name commemorates two early members of the Canterbury Association, Edward Coleridge and William Coleridge, who were first cousins and both nephews of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.{{rp|68}}{{cite book

| pages = 22–25

| last = Blain

| first = Rev. Michael

| title = The Canterbury Association (1848–1852): A Study of Its Members’ Connections

| year = 2007

| publisher = Project Canterbury

| location = Christchurch

| url = http://anglicanhistory.org/nz/blain_canterbury2007.pdf

| accessdate = 20 March 2013

}}{{cite book

| pages = 118, 121

| title = A History of Canterbury

| volume = I

| last = Hight

| first = James

|author2=C. R. Straubel

| year = 1957

| publisher = Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd

| location = Christchurch

}} Two other members of the Coleridge family joined the Canterbury Association in June 1851, after the lake had been named: John Taylor Coleridge (a brother of Edward), and John Coleridge, one of John Taylor's sons.

The lake is the site of one of the country's earliest hydroelectric schemes, the Coleridge Power Station, initially completed in 1914 and built mainly to supply power to Christchurch.{{cite web |url=http://www.ipenz.org.nz/heritage/itemdetail.cfm?itemid=58 |title=Lake Coleridge Power Station |publisher=IPENZ Engineering Heritage |accessdate=18 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209060912/http://www.ipenz.org.nz/heritage/itemdetail.cfm?itemid=58 |archive-date=9 February 2013 |url-status=dead }} The project makes use of the difference in altitude between the lake and river (the lake is {{convert|150|m|disp=or}} higher). Both the Harper and Wilberforce rivers have had some of their flow diverted into the lake, with up to 100% of the Harper's flow diverted for the power station. The power station is still operating today.

File:Lake Coleridge 27.jpg]]

The lake was the epicentre of a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that struck on 26 June 1946.{{cite web |url= http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/region/newzealand/1542818 |title=GeoNet – Quakes |publisher=GNS Science |accessdate=18 March 2017}}

Climate

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Lake Coleridge, elevation {{convert|364|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1981–2010)

|Jan high C = 22.4

|Feb high C = 22.0

|Mar high C = 20.2

|Apr high C = 17.3

|May high C = 13.9

|Jun high C = 10.6

|Jul high C = 10.0

|Aug high C = 11.8

|Sep high C = 14.5

|Oct high C = 16.2

|Nov high C = 18.4

|Dec high C = 20.4

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = 16.2

|Feb mean C = 15.9

|Mar mean C = 14.2

|Apr mean C = 11.3

|May mean C = 8.2

|Jun mean C = 5.5

|Jul mean C = 4.7

|Aug mean C = 6.3

|Sep mean C = 8.7

|Oct mean C = 10.6

|Nov mean C = 12.6

|Dec mean C = 14.5

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = 10.0

|Feb low C = 9.7

|Mar low C = 8.1

|Apr low C = 5.3

|May low C = 2.5

|Jun low C = 0.3

|Jul low C = -0.6

|Aug low C = 0.7

|Sep low C = 2.9

|Oct low C = 5.0

|Nov low C = 6.7

|Dec low C = 8.6

| year low C =

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 57.1

|Feb rain mm = 37.4

|Mar rain mm = 60.1

|Apr rain mm = 67.1

|May rain mm = 55.7

|Jun rain mm = 74.7

|Jul rain mm = 80.2

|Aug rain mm = 97.8

|Sep rain mm = 90.5

|Oct rain mm = 80.4

|Nov rain mm = 66.5

|Dec rain mm = 56.4

|year rain mm =

|source 1 = NIWA (rain 1991–2020)

{{cite web

|url = http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz

|title = CliFlo – National Climate Database : Lake Coleridge

|publisher = NIWA

|access-date = 19 May 2024}}

}}

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Harper River, elevation {{convert|533|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020)

|Jan high C = 21.2

|Feb high C = 21.7

|Mar high C = 19.0

|Apr high C = 16.0

|May high C = 13.2

|Jun high C = 9.9

|Jul high C = 9.3

|Aug high C = 10.8

|Sep high C = 12.9

|Oct high C = 14.9

|Nov high C = 16.6

|Dec high C = 19.3

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = 15.4

|Feb mean C = 15.5

|Mar mean C = 13.2

|Apr mean C = 10.5

|May mean C = 8.2

|Jun mean C = 5.2

|Jul mean C = 4.4

|Aug mean C = 5.8

|Sep mean C = 7.8

|Oct mean C = 9.6

|Nov mean C = 11.3

|Dec mean C = 13.7

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = 9.6

|Feb low C = 9.3

|Mar low C = 7.5

|Apr low C = 5.1

|May low C = 3.2

|Jun low C = 0.6

|Jul low C = -0.6

|Aug low C = 0.8

|Sep low C = 2.7

|Oct low C = 4.3

|Nov low C = 6.0

|Dec low C = 8.1

| year low C =

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 89.1

|Feb rain mm = 54.7

|Mar rain mm = 90.4

|Apr rain mm = 77.2

|May rain mm = 91.5

|Jun rain mm = 136.9

|Jul rain mm = 86.0

|Aug rain mm = 130.5

|Sep rain mm = 119.7

|Oct rain mm = 126.3

|Nov rain mm = 125.6

|Dec rain mm = 92.9