Lake Mahinerangi is a small hydroelectric

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...

 lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 formed by a dam on the Waipori River

Waipori River

The Waipori River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it flows southeast for 50 kilometres before joining the Taieri River near Henley, 30 km southwest of Dunedin of which it is officially the southernmost border.The upper reaches of the Waipori...

 35 kilometres to the west of Dunedin

Dunedin

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

 in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

.

The hydro dam was completed in 1924, and the lake was named for Olive Mahinerangi Barnett, the daughter of William Barnett, mayor of Dunedin 1911-1912. The lake has a maximum length of 12 kilometres, and lies on the western side of Maungatua

Maungatua

Often incorrectly called The Maungatuas or The Maungatua Range, Maungatua is a prominent ridge which dominates the skyline of the Taieri Plains in Otago, New Zealand...

, above and to the west of the Berwick Forest

Berwick Forest, New Zealand

Berwick Forest is a large Pinus radiata plantation at Berwick in New Zealand, around 40 km west of Dunedin. The forest lies close to the banks of the Waipori River immediately below and around the western end of Lake Mahinerangi, and consists of three blocks - the main block, Maungatua, and...

. It is surrounded by farmland, tussock grasslands, and plantation forest.

TrustPower

TrustPower

TrustPower Limited is a New Zealand electricity generation and electricity retailing company, listed on the New Zealand stock exchange.TrustPower is New Zealand's fifth largest electricity generator and the fourth largest electricity retailer , serving 260,000 customers throughout New Zealand...

s proposed Mahinerangi Wind Farm

Mahinerangi Wind Farm

The Mahinerangi Wind Farm is a wind farm on the north side of Lake Mahinerangi, around 50 km west of Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand. Stage one of the wind farm, generating 36 MW, was commissioned in March 2011, and an additional 164 MW is consented to be commissioned in further...

will be located to the north of the lake.