Lakes of New Zealand

There are 3,820 lakes in New Zealand that have a surface area larger than one hectare.

The majority of the lakes near the Southern Alps were carved by glaciers.

Artificial lakes created as hydroelectric reservoirs are common in South Canterbury, Central Otago and along the Waikato River.

[1] There are: A trophic level index is used as a measure of the pollution levels of lakes in New Zealand.

Based on the monitoring of 134 lakes it is estimated that one third of New Zealand lakes have high nutrient levels or have poor water quality.