Lake Horowhenua

Lake Horowhenua
File:Lake Horowhenua 11.JPG
Location	Southern Manawatu-Wanganui region, North Island
Coordinates
Basin countries	New Zealand
Surface area	3.9 km2 (1.5 sq mi)

Lake Horowhenua is located in the Horowhenua, an area of the southern Manawatu-Wanganui region in New Zealand's North Island. It covers an area of 3.9 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi).

The lake, also known as Punahou, lies on a sandy plain 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of Levin and 5 kilometres (3 mi) from the coast of the Tasman Sea. It is a shallow lake, only some 2 metres (7 ft) deep, fed by various small streams, and is drained by the Hokio Stream.

File:Lake Horowhenua 13.JPG

The shore of Lake Horowhenua

History

The lake was once surrounded by podocarp forest as the centre of a rich wetland ecosystem. Today the trees are gone and the wetland has been substantially drained. The lake is owned by the Māori Muaupoko iwi, who, with the help of the Horowhenua Lake Trust, are actively attempting to restore the wetland system (that also contains the smaller Lake Papaitonga) to its former state as a conservation area.

In the 1820s the Muaupoko were attacked by Te Rauparaha and the Ngati Toa. Two island pā on the lake were destroyed and heavy casualties suffered by the Muaupoko people.

Water Quality

Between 1952 and 1987 treated sewage from Levin was dumped into the lake. This has contributed significantly to the current eutrophic state of the lake.

External links

• Waitangi Tribunal report on Lake Horowhenua PDF (215 KiB)