Lake Taupo bares its shoreline

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33579, 6 July 1974, Page 11

Lake Taupo bares its shoreline

(By

ROSALEEN MACBRAYNE)

While the fluctuating level of Lake Taupo continues to hold New Zealand’s power situation in the balance, local people are pretty well resigned to the lake’s ups and downs.

Lake Taupo’s normal operating range is 1172 ft to 1177 ft — but an emergency limit of Ift on either side of this range is still considered an acceptable level. In January, the lake’s inflow was the lowest for any month recorded this century. These days, local people hold their breath when cold, clear weather takes a substantial drawoff from the lake. But, whenever it rains; they console each other that it is helping Lake Taupo. With the enormous lake on their doorstep, and daily reports of its level on television and in the newspapers, Taupo people cannot help but be personally concerned. In February, they saw one of their major tourist attractions scrapped “till further notice” in the

interests of a power-hun-gry country: the twicedaily diversion of water through the Aratiatia Rapids was stopped. The water is being used for power generation at the Aratiatia power station, eight miles below Lake Taupo. Last winter similar action was taken in order to add about 500,000 units a week to the national grid. When Lake Taupo was near its minimum generating level earlier this year some boats had difficulty in leaving their moorings in the Taupo boat harbour, and the low lake level dried the feet of several ramps. But boaties have done some dredging and a service club has extended one of the most popular ramps. Probably the most unwelcome effect seen by

Taupo people was the large amount of weed and rock exposed. When it was found that no official, responsibility would be taken for the weed nuisance, individuals, organisations and local bodies in the area set to and cleaned up Taupo’s foreshore. More than 400 people turned up with spades, rakes and wheel barrows to clear at least 200 tons of weed from four miles of the most popular lakeshore beach. The first 50 to 60 tons of weed was sent to the Lands and Survey Department’s nurseries; the rest was dumped at the borough rubbish tip. However, Taupo's reputation as a tourist centre does not seem to have suffered from the lake level problem — visitors continue to come in record numbers.