Māori Lakes
| Māori Lakes | |
|---|---|
| Ōtūwharekai (Māori)[1] | |
 | |
 | |
| Location | Ashburton District, Canterbury region, South Island |
| Coordinates | 43°34′18″S 171°10′32″E / 43.57167°S 171.17556°E |
| Max. depth | 2.3 m (7.5 ft)[2] |
| Surface elevation | 626 m (2,054 ft)[3] |
Māori Lakes (Māori: Ōtūwharekai)[1] are a group of small and shallow high-country lakes located in inland Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand.[4] They lie within an area of 288 ha (710 acres) of wetland that is protected as the Māori Lakes Nature Reserve, and designated as a wildlife refuge, under s.14 of the Wildlife Act 1953.[5][6] The lakes have a maximum depth of 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in).[2] The lakes are a popular location for photography, and are known for birdlife, with common waterfowl such as ducks and swans. However, rare species have also been sighted there, including Australasian bittern, marsh crake, great crested grebe and the white heron (kōtuku).[7]
The Māori Lakes are part of the wider Ashburton Lakes region (also known as Ōtūwharekai),[1] an area of cultural importance to the iwi Ngāi Tahu because the lakes were a significant food-gathering area and also on a main route for travel between the east and west coasts of the South Island (Te Waipounamu).[8]
The Māori Lakes can be accessed from the Hakatere Heron road, and are approximately 31 km (19 mi) west of Mount Somers.[3] The Te Araroa trail passes around the east and southeast boundaries of the Māori Lakes wetland.[3]
A case study report published by the Ministry for the Environment in 2023 reported that all the Ōtūwharekai / Ashburton Lakes were nutrient-enriched, with some at risk of deteriorating further into severe eutrophic states, changing from clear water with vegetation, to turbid algae-dominated water.[9][10] The study reported that pastoral farming was the source for more than 90% of nutrients.[11]
References
[edit]
Media related to Maori Lakes at Wikimedia Commons
- ^ a b c "Ancient paths". Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. 16 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Lake Maori A / Ōtūwharekai". Our Lakes our Future. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "NZ Topo Map - Māori Lakes". topomap.co.nz. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "New Zealand Gazetteer - Māori Lakes". New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "New Zealand Gazetteer - Māori Lakes Nature Reserve". New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "LINZ Data Service - Protected Areas dataset". Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Korstrom, Lauren (19 October 2020). "Full guide to the Ashburton lakes". Kor Adventures Co. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Lakes Camp and Clearwater". Ashburton District Council. 29 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Allott, Amber (29 July 2021). "'It's now or never' for lakes". The Press. p. 1. ProQuest 2555673767.
- ^ Davis, Sharon (3 December 2023). "Ashburton Lakes remediation plan expected to be complete before year end". Rural Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2025 – via New Zealand Herald.
- ^ "Õtüwharekai/Ashburton Lakes lessons-learnt report: A case study examining ongoing deterioration of water quality in the Otuwharekai lakes" (PDF). Ministry for the Environment. May 2023. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.