Lake Rotopounamu (also known as Greenstone Lake, from the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

(lake) and (greenstone)) is a secluded lake in the Pihanga Scenic Reserve, in the

Tongariro National Park Tongariro National Park (; ), located in the central North Island, is the oldest national park in New Zealand and the sixth national park established in the world.Department of Conservation"Tongariro National Park: Features", retrieved 21 April ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

's Central North Island. It lies at the northwest foot of Mt

Pihanga Pihanga is a andesitic volcanic peak in the North Island Volcanic Plateau, located to the north of Mount Tongariro, between Tongariro and Lake Taupō. The nearest town to Pihanga is Tūrangi. Lake Rotoaira lies to the south-west of Pihanga, ...

, and was formed by a landslide around 10,000 years ago. The lake is fed by seven streams, but has no visible surface outflow. It is believed to drain underground.

Recreation

Around the lake is a scenic loop track, which can be accessed from the

Saddle road (State Highway 47) between

Tūrangi Tūrangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand. It was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro Power Scheme, Tongar ...

and

Tongariro Mount Tongariro (; ) is a complex volcano, compound volcano in the Taupō Volcanic Zone of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the southwest of Lake Taupō, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the ...

. Walking this track takes about two hours. Rotopounamu MRD 09

References

Tongariro Volcanic Centre Taupō District Rotopounamu Tongariro National Park {{Waikato-geo-stub