Lake Coleridge

Lake Coleridge ( Māori: Whakamatua ) is a lake of glacial origin in the Selwyn District of the Canterbury region on the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 35km northwest of Methven, has an area of 47 km ² and a depth of up to 200 m.

The lake is part of one of the earliest and the first state-owned hydropower project in New Zealand. This makes the difference in height of the lake to 170 mtiefer located Rakaia River in the north of the lake available. The project was completed on 25 November 1914.

By redrawing the women of up to 400 in the construction of hydropower plants was employed at the lake settlement Cool Ridge Village.

In addition to natural inflows part of the opening into the Rakaia rivers Harper and Wilberforce River is diverted over the lake.

For Māori, the lake was to acquire in their travels through the Southern Alps to the coveted Jade Pounamu because of his wealth of eels and fish is an important stopover.

The first Europeans who saw the lake, were surveyors should measure a road to the goldfields on the West Coast. The land around the lake was later used by the Europeans primarily as pasture for extensive farms.

The lake is named after a member of the Canterbury Association, who was a descendant of the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.