Lake Ngaroto is a
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
lake in
Waipa District
Waipa District is a municipality in the Waikato region of New Zealand that is administered by the Waipa District Council. Its most populous town is Cambridge. The seat of the council is at the second most populous town, Te Awamutu. The district i ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
Located 19 km south of
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
and 8 km north-west of
Te Awamutu
Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilto ...
, it has a surface area of , making it the largest of the Waipa peat lakes. The lake is hypertrophic, leading to
eutrophication
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 phytopla ...
. It has very high levels of nutrients, microscopic algae and suspended sediment and its water clarity is low and decreasing by around a year. A health warning was issued in 2020 for cyanobacteria.
The New Zealand
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...
gives a translation of "the lakes" for ''Ngāroto''.
History
The
Battle of Hingakaka
The Battle of Hingakākā (sometimes written ''Hiringakaka'') was fought between two Māori armies of the North Island, near Te Awamutu and Ohaupo in the Waikato in the late 18th or early 19th centuries, and was reputedly "the largest battle ev ...
was fought nearby, and the sacred carving
Te Uenuku
''Te Uenuku'', or simply ''Uenuku'', is an early Māori carving housed at Te Awamutu Museum in the North Island of New Zealand. ''Te Uenuku'' (literally "The Rainbow") represents Uenuku, a tribal atua of war who manifests as a rainbow. The taong ...
lost at this time. It was re-discovered in 1906, and now resides in the Te Awamutu Museum.
Recreation
* Power boats are banned from the lake, so Lake Ngaroto is popular for sailing and rowing.
* During the New Zealand Duck Shooting Season (May and June), the lake is used for duck shooting.
* Waipa District council has constructed a 6km track around the lake, part gravel and part boardwalk. It is popular with walkers and runners and recreational cyclists. There are several public toilets.
See also
Ngaroto railway station
Ngaroto railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand, south of Lake Rd, north of Te Awamutu, beside the entrance tYarndley's Bush Lake Ngaroto is visible from the railway to the north of the station.
The stat ...
References
External links
Lake Ngarotoat Lake Ecosystem Restoration New Zealand
Ngaroto
Waipa District
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