Pupu Hydro Power Scheme

The Pupu Hydro Power Scheme is a small hydroelectric power station near Takaka in the Golden Bay region of the South Island of New Zealand. It opened in 1929 as the first power station in the region and was the first public electricity supply in Golden Bay. After closing in 1980 following damage to the generator, the power scheme was fully restored by the local Pupu Hydro Society and many volunteer groups over the course of seven years and re-opened in 1988, again supplying electricity to the national grid.The scenic Pupu Hydro Walkway follows the historic gold mining water-race between the penstock and the weir at Campbell Creek, before returning along the opposite side of the valley. The track was opened in 2003 and also leads past the power house, where a window provides a view into the turbine room.ConstructionThe first water-race was constructed from 1901 to 1902 by the Takaka Sluicing Company over 8 months by a crew of 24 men working 8-hour shifts. It diverted water from Campbell Creek at a gentle gradient along the steep hillside, travelling over several timber aqueducts along its original course. The gold claim in the Waikoropupu Valley was worked from the 1850s until around 1910.Following a public meeting in 1924, an interim power board was formed to investigate the development of a local hydro scheme in response to the increasing promotion of electricity as a new energy source following the 1918 Electric Power Boards Act. The proposed Pupu Hydro Power Scheme was however deemed uneconomical by the central government, and local rate payers voted to take on a loan of £24,000 and proceed with the construction, which involved upgrading the disused Campbell Creek water-race, building a penstock and a powerhouse.