Lake Alexandrina

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Lake Alexandrina is a lake located in the Mackenzie Basin of New Zealand's South Island. It lies immediately to the west of the much larger Lake Tekapo and further to the east of Lake Pukaki, located to the north of Lake Tekapo township. It is a shallow lake with distinct indications of glacial origin and is spring fed with an outlet on its eastern shore mid-way down the lake. The outlet feeds into a smaller lake, Lake MacGregor before feeding into Lake Tekapo described as “Opaque and milky blue” in colour. In the desert terrain of the Mackenzie Plains, Lake Alexandrina is considered as an “oasis of life”. Lake Alexandrina is a Wildlife Refuge and a delight to a fisherman, well documented for its brown and rainbow trout and salmon.GeographyCategorised as a Canterbury High County lake in the Mackenzie Basin, it lies a short distance from Lake Tekapo while also being connected to it. Lake Alexandrina is approached from the State Highway 8 via the Godley Peaks Road. The lake, located at an altitude of, covers an area of 640ha with width of 0.9km and extending to a length of 7.2km. Its shores are flat. The maximum water depth in the lake is reported to be 27m. The lake catchment has landscape that provides for plentiful wildlife but also has extensive cultivation which brings in a lot of nutrients, enriching the lake's with phosphorus.The lake's annual balance is contributed by surface streams: 5.72 million m3 (27%), overland flows: 1.11 million m3 (5%), ground water sources: 10.1 million m3 (48%) and precipitation: 4.11 million m3 (20%). The storage in the lake lasts four years.