Lake levels at Wanaka have fallen to such an extent that rocky offshore reefs and vast mudflats are left exposed at Bremner Bay, in the wake of a very dry summer and a dearth of recent rain. Photo by Matthew Haggart.
The water level at Bremner Bay is well down, with rocky offshore reefs and mudflats exposed by falling lake levels.
Although the lake can be low at this time of year, its level usually sits a lot higher.
A very dry, hot summer resulted in the low lake levels at Wanaka with the lake falling to 276.47m above sea level.
The level of the Contact Energy-controlled Lake Hawea is sitting at 344.10m above sea level, with little water being released down the Hawea River from the lake's control gate structure.
The Pukaki and Tekapo hydro lakes are also low after the dry summer experienced by Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin.
