Manapouri Power Plant

In the 1960s plans to raise the level of Lake Manapouri by 12m under a proposed hydroelectric scheme to supply power to the aluminum smelter at Bluff aroused fierce controversy and in 1972 led to the fall of the government. Thereafter a compromise was reached under which the water level of the lake remained unchanged. The hydroelectric station was installed in a cavern deep under the lake - a technological achievement that draws thousands of visitors every year.

(The power plant can be seen only on an organized excursion).

In order to carry out the project it was necessary to construct a landing stage for ships carrying equipment and supplies at Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound. These were then carried in trucks up a steep works road and over the Wilmot Pass (671m) to the construction site. Nowadays the landing stage and the road are used mainly for tourist traffic.