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Lake Brunner / Kōtukuwhakaoka

Depth: 109 metres

Area: 4061 hectares

Altitude: 76 metres

Lake ID: 38974

Main vegetation type:
Indigenous Forest

Moana

West Coast
42° 36' 57" S
171° 26' 51" E
Lowland

Iwi / representative groups:

  • Ngāi Tahu
    • Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio
    • Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae

Description

Kōtukuwhakaoka (Lake Brunner) is the largest lake in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand, covering an area of 39 km². It was gouged out by a branch of the Taramakau Glacier and is one of a cluster of lakes within this sector of the Grey River catchment. The lake is fed by the Crooked, Orangipuku and Eastern Hohonu Rivers and a number of small streams. Its outflow is the Arnold River, a tributary of the Grey River. The Lake Brunner area has an abundance of bird life and a variety of wetland and rain forest ecosystems.

The Māori name for the lake is Kōtukuwhakaoka, meaning the ‘sea of herons’. The present name commemorates Thomas Brunner who, in 1848, became the first European to see the lake during his epic 550 day exploration of the region with Kehu and other Māori guides (source www.doc.govt.nz).

38974
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    • Marlborough
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  • Coastal Lakes
  • Lowland Lakes
  • Highland Lakes
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About

  • The Project
  • The Science
    • Field Sampling
    • Laboratory Analysis
    • Student Projects
  • Science Aims
  • Rohe Studies
    • Rangitīkei Iwi Rohe Study
    • Wairarapa Moana iwi rohe study
  • Virtual Experience
  • Social Science
  • Iwi Relationships
  • The Team
    • Lakes380 Team
    • Advisory Groups
    • Lakes380 Co-lead Institutes​
    • National Collaborators
    • International Collaborators
  • Partners

Resources

  • Contact & Links
  • Blog, News & Publications
  • Video Gallery
  • Results
  • Glossary