Pupu Hydro Power Scheme facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pupu Hydro Power Scheme |
|
|---|---|
Pupu water-race diverting Campbell Creek to a penstock
|
|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | near Takaka |
| Coordinates | 40°51′19″S 172°44′14″E / 40.85528°S 172.73722°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 11 October 1929 |
| Owner(s) | Pupu Hydro Society Inc |
| Power station | |
| Operator(s) | Pupu Hydro Society Inc |
| Type | Run-of-the-river |
| Turbines | Boving twin-jet pelton wheel |
| Installed capacity | 250 kW (340 hp) |
| Annual generation | 1.8 GWh (6.5 TJ) |
The Pupu Hydro Power Scheme is a small hydroelectric power station. It is located near Takaka in the Golden Bay area of the South Island of New Zealand. It first opened in 1929. This made it the first place in Golden Bay to get public electricity.
The power station closed in 1980 after its generator broke down. But local groups and many volunteers worked for seven years to fix it. It reopened in 1988, sending power back to the national grid.
You can visit the Pupu Hydro Walkway, a beautiful path that follows the old water channels used for gold mining. This track opened in 2003. It also goes past the power house, where you can look inside the turbine room.
Building the Power Scheme
The story of the Pupu Hydro Power Scheme began with gold mining. From 1901 to 1902, a group of 24 men built the first water channel. They worked for eight months to dig a channel about 3.7 kilometres long. This channel moved water from Campbell Creek to help with gold mining. The gold mining in the Waikoropupu Valley happened from the 1850s until about 1910.
After the gold mining stopped, people in Golden Bay wanted electricity. In 1924, a group was formed to plan a local hydro scheme. The government thought the Pupu scheme would be too expensive. But local people voted to borrow money and build it anyway. They upgraded the old water channel, built a special pipe called a penstock, and a power house.
On October 11, 1929, the Pupu Hydro Power Scheme officially opened. This brought the first public electricity to Golden Bay homes. People could now have electric lights, appliances, and radios.
This power scheme, along with another one, helped Golden Bay make its own power until 1944. After that, the much larger Cobb Power Station started sending power to the national grid. Golden Bay then began getting its electricity from the main grid.
The Pupu Power Scheme was kept as a backup for emergencies. It worked well for 51 years. In 1980, its main generator broke down. After this, the power scheme was put up for sale.
Bringing it Back to Life
From 1981 to 1987, a local group called the Pupu Hydro Society worked hard. They wanted to restore the power scheme and make it a working "museum." After seven years of talks, they signed an agreement to borrow money and fix it.
Many parts of the power scheme were rebuilt or fixed. The water channel and penstock were partly redone. New filters and control gates were put in. The power house was made new again. All the old equipment was either repaired or replaced.
The main generator from 1929 was completely rebuilt. Its parts were replaced, and the control systems were fixed. The special water wheel, called a Pelton wheel, got 24 new buckets.
The restoration cost about $280,000. Many local groups and volunteers helped a lot. On April 10, 1988, the Pupu Hydro Power Scheme reopened. It was once again a fully working hydroelectric power station.
In 1991, the Pupu Hydro Society bought the power house and the land around it. In 2003, they finished building the loop track for visitors.
How it Works Today
Water drops 107 metres from a high pond down the penstock to the power house. This creates strong water pressure. Two powerful jets of water spin the Pelton wheel. This wheel can use up to 350 litres of water every second. The spinning wheel powers a generator that makes 250 kilowatts of electricity. This power is then sent to the main power grid.
The Pupu Hydro Scheme now produces about 1.8 GWh of energy each year. This is much more than its original output of 0.8 GWh per year.
Heritage New Zealand has listed the Pupu Hydro Scheme as an important historic site.
The Pupu Hydro Society still takes care of the power scheme. They use the money from selling the electricity to fund its upkeep. Any extra money helps with other community projects in Golden Bay.
Pupu Hydro Walkway
The Pupu Hydro Walkway is a fun loop track that takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to walk. It starts at the end of Pupu Valley Road, past the famous Pupu Springs.
The walk goes through a beautiful forest with tall native trees like podocarp and beech. First, the path zig-zags up to the penstock. Then, it follows the old gold mining water channel for about 1.7 kilometres. This part of the path is a narrow boardwalk with railings, especially where it's steep.
After reaching the water intake at Campbell Creek, the track returns on a gravel path on the other side of the valley. The Pupu Hydro Powerhouse is just a one-minute walk from the car park. It has a viewing window and information panels. These panels tell you all about the power scheme, its history, and how it was restored.
