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Story: Hydroelectricity

Kaitawa powerhouse

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Kaitawa powerhouse

Kaitawa, commissioned in 1948, is one of three power stations that form the Lake Waikaremoana scheme. In 1947 painter Doris Lusk visited a friend who was an engineer at the power station. Lusk painted ‘Landscape, overlooking Kaitawa, Waikaremoana’ the following year. The large pipe running downhill in the foreground is the penstock, taking water from the intake to the powerhouse, which can be seen on the left.

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Christchurch Art Gallery - Te Puna o Waiwhetu

by Doris Lusk

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How to cite this page

John E. Martin, Hydroelectricity – Hydro, 19th and early 20th centuries, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/22461/kaitawa-powerhouse (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John E. Martin, published 20 April 2010.