Hawksbury Lagoon is situated within the

East Otago East Otago is the name given to that part of Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand that lies directly to the north of Dunedin. To the south, its limit is approximately the rough hill pass of the Kilmog, 25 kilometres north of Dunedin city ce ...

town of

Waikouaiti Waikouaiti is a small town in East Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits of Dunedin. The town is close to the coast and the mouth of the Waikouaiti River. Today, Waikouaiti is a retail trade and servicing centre for the surrounding district ...

, on the northern boundary of Dunedin City, New Zealand. It is a designated

Wildlife Refuge A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

under the

Reserves Act 1977 The Reserves Act 1977 is an Act of Parliament passed in New Zealand. It is administered by the Department of Conservation It contains provisions for the acquisition, control, management, maintenance, development and use of public reserves. Ty ...

, and is administered by the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

(DOC). It is listed as an ‘Area of significance’ within the

Dunedin City Council The Dunedin City Council ( mi, Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Ōtepoti) is the local government authority for Dunedin in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Dunedin. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Dunedin is Jules ...

and

Otago Regional Council Otago Regional Council (ORC) is the regional council for Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. The council's principal office is Regional House on Stafford Street in Dunedin with 250-275 staff, with smaller offices in Queenstown and Alexand ...

Plans. It is in size, with a perimeter of . It is regarded as being a regionally significant wetland. There is a loop walk around the lagoon margins and across

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

s. Hawksbury Lagoon is described by the Otago Regional Council as "A shallow fresh-brackish water lagoon at the mouth of the river, adjacent to the town of Waikouaiti. here is littletidal influence within the lagoon, as a causeway along the channel entrance restricts the entry of seawater." As at 2014 the lagoon was in a

eutrophic Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytoplank ...

state.

References

External links

Hawksbury Lagoon and Beach walk
" ''www.doc.govt.nz'' Nature reserves in New Zealand Waikouaiti Landforms of Otago Lagoons of New Zealand Wetlands of Otago {{Otago-geo-stub