Lake Hāwea
lake in Otago Region, New Zealand
Lake Hāwea is New Zealand's ninth largest lake located in the South Island's Otago Region at an altitude of 348 m. It covers approximately 151 km2 and is 392 m deep.
Lake Hāwea is named after a Māori tribe who preceded the Waitaha people in the area.
Lake Hāwea stretches 35 km from north to south. It lies in a glacial valley formed during the last ice age, and is fed by the Hunter River. Nearby Lake Wānaka lies in a parallel glacial valley 8 km to the west. At their closest point, a rocky ridge called The Neck, the lakes are only 1 km apart.
Lake Hāwea is dammed to the south by an ancient terminal moraine created 10,000 years ago. In 1958, the lake was artificially raised 20 metres to store more water for increased hydroelectric power generation at the Roxburgh Dam.
The only flat land around the lake is at its southern end, surrounding its outflow into the Hāwea River, a short tributary of the Clutha
/ Matau-au, which it joins near Albert Town.
The public source identifies “Lake Hāwea” as lake in Otago Region, New Zealand. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lake, Hāwea and lake.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Lake Hāwea”, the useful work is to connect “lake in Otago Region, New Zealand” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1440634. Authority coordinates are -44.500, 169.283. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1958.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lake Hāwea”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lake Hāwea primary sources, Lake Hāwea archive and Lake research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Lake Hāwea” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.