Poolburn Reservoir facts for kids
The Poolburn Reservoir, also called the Poolburn Dam, is a large lake in Central Otago, New Zealand. It was built a long time ago, during a tough economic time called the Great Depression. The main reasons for building it were to provide water for farmers in the Ida Valley and to create jobs for people who needed work.
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Where is Poolburn Reservoir?
This reservoir is found on the western side of the Rough Ridge mountain range. A stream called Long Valley Creek flows into the reservoir, filling it with water. From the reservoir, another stream called the Pool Burn begins.
The Pool Burn then flows into the Ida Valley. It joins up with the Ida Burn and then cuts through the Raggedy Range to form a narrow passage known as the Poolburn Gorge. After that, the water eventually flows into the Manuherikia River.
How to Get to Poolburn Reservoir
You can reach Poolburn Reservoir from a few different towns. One way is from Omakau, which is about 30 kilometres away. Another way is from Oturehua in the Ida Valley, which is about 43 kilometres away.
There's also a road from Paerau that goes over the Rock and Pillar Range, about 24 kilometres long. However, this road is only safe to use when the weather is dry, and you need a special four-wheel drive vehicle to travel on it. It's not usually recommended for regular cars.
The higher parts of this road are closed every year from early June until late September. This means you can't get to Poolburn Reservoir by road during the winter months.
The Old Dunstan Road
The road from Paerau to the Ida Valley, passing by Poolburn Reservoir, is part of an old route called the Old Dunstan Road. This road was used by gold miners during the early days of the Otago Gold Rush. Back then, it took about five days to travel from Dunedin to the gold fields using this route.
There was another way to get to the gold fields, starting from Palmerston. This route was about 50 kilometres longer, but it was much easier to travel because it didn't cross any big mountains or major rivers. This easier route became the main path for wagons and is now known as State Highway 85.
Because there weren't many towns along the Old Dunstan Road, much of it was never fully built up. This is why access to Poolburn Reservoir is only possible during certain seasons. Since 2004, local council workers even fly in by helicopter each winter to close the mountain roads.
Building the Reservoir
In March 1929, a group of people met with the government ministers, Bill Veitch, who was in charge of Labour and Transport. They discussed a plan to build a dam for irrigation to help farmers in the Ida Valley.
By September of that year, the government agreed to the project. They saw it as a way to create jobs during the Great Depression, a time when many people were out of work. The Department of Public Works was put in charge of building it, and about £71,823 was set aside in the 1930 budget for the work.
Work began in late 1929, starting with building the access road from the Ida Valley. In August 1930, the Minister of Public Works, William Taverner, reported that the main digging for the concrete dam was almost finished. Poolburn Reservoir was completed by late 1931. The area where the reservoir now sits was once part of the Old Dunstan Road and used to have five hotels!
The Dam's Structure
The dam itself is made of concrete and is shaped like an arch. It stands about 30 metres (100 feet) high and stretches about 146 metres (480 feet) long across the top. Around 10,700 cubic metres (14,000 cubic yards) of concrete were used to build it.
During the construction, there was an accident where some scaffolding collapsed. Seven workers were hurt, and two were in serious condition at first. Sadly, in June 1931, one worker died from a fall at the site.
Today, the Ida Valley Irrigation Company manages the dam. When the reservoir is completely full, it covers more than 3 square kilometres (300 hectares) of land. Poolburn Reservoir and Poolburn Dam are just different names for the same body of water.
What is Poolburn Reservoir Used For?
The reservoir is a popular spot for fishing. Brown trout and rainbow trout were put into the reservoir a long time ago, but now only brown trout live there. You can also catch koura, which are New Zealand freshwater crayfish.
You might even recognize Poolburn Reservoir from the movies! It was used to represent Rohan in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Around the reservoir, there are many small holiday homes called baches. These are popular places for people to stay and enjoy the area.
