Lake Wanaka is already high, the Clutha River is bank-to-bank and flowing swiftly and energy company Meridian Energy is warning it might have to spill water from Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki this week.
Queenstown Lakes harbourmaster Marty Black said there were some safety concerns with the high lakes and swift rivers at present and he hoped people would exercise ''common sense'' over the next few days.
''When the river is high like that, it comes in among the trees. So I will be doing [bulletins] about that with [Radio Wanaka] over the next couple of days. And with the high winds on the lake, people may venture to the calmer Clutha River. So take care. Watch for entrapments. Common sense prevails,'' Mr Black said when contacted this week.
The lake level of 278.6m was recorded at noon on Friday by the Otago Regional Council and was the highest it had been in the last 180 days.
However, it still had a long way to go before any flood concerns were raised as the first flood alert level was 279m, and a flood was possible from 280m.
The Clutha River was also high and swift, with 507.085cumecs recorded at the Cardrona River confluence at noon on Friday.
This was also the highest flow in the past 180 days, but well off the first flood level of 600cumecs.
The Matukituki River, one of the main sources of the lake, was flowing at 201.82 at noon on Friday.
There was no flow counter on the Makarora River, another main source of the lake, but33.5mm fell on Thursday night, bringing the total for the week to 249mm.
The rains had also caused Lake Wakatipu to rise. It was at 310.365m at noon on Friday, still below its first flood warning of 310.800m.
Meridian spokeswoman Claire Shaw said that as a result of recent significant weather events, there was a possibility that some flow releases might occur in the coming week.
''Having the lakes full is, of course, a good thing as Meridian plans for the winter, but we are watching our lakes as the recent rain events have boosted our inflows.''
Environment Canterbury spokesman Graham Sullivan said both ECan and Meridian were reminding campers and anglers to be mindful of the possibility of rising water levels in the Tekapo River and to factor this into camping and fishing activities during the holidays.
''Water levels can rise quickly, and with little warning, and people in the Tekapo and Pukaki area need to keep a close watch on river conditions.
Stay safe this holiday,'' Mr Sullivan said.
