Lake Papaitonga
| Lake Papaitonga | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Southern Manawatu-Wanganui region, North Island |
| Coordinates | 40°38′42″S 175°13′33″E / 40.6450°S 175.2259°ECoordinates: 40°38′42″S 175°13′33″E / 40.6450°S 175.2259°E |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Surface area | 61.8 ha (153 acres) |
| Average depth | 1 m (3.3 ft) |
| Islands | Motukiwi (Papaitonga) and Motungarara (Papawharangi) |
Lake Papaitonga is located in the Horowhenua, an area of the southern Manawatu-Wanganui region in New Zealand's North Island. Part of the Papaitonga Scenic Reserve, a 135 ha area of forest and wetland, it is the only remaining lake bordered by undisturbed native forest in the Horowhenua region, and contains two populations of endangered native land snails. The traditional home of the Muaūpoko people, the lake was the scene of their massacre and defeat by invading chief Te Rauparaha. The naturalist Walter Buller later managed to purchase Papaitonga and its environs for his country home, which led to its forest being preserved and it eventually becoming a scenic reserve.
Although it is generally known as Papaitonga, the lake's traditional name is Waiwiri or "trembling waters". Papaitonga, "beauty of the south", is the original name of its largest island in the lake. Over time that name came to be used for the scenic reserve around the lake, and eventually for the lake itself. The lake is increasingly being referred to as Lake Waiwiri.
The names Motukiwi and Motungarara, often used to refer to the islands Papaitonga and Papawharangi respectively, are not traditional Māori names; they were invented by Walter Buller in the 1890s.
The lake lies on a sandy plain in the Horowhenua, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of central Levin and 5.9 kilometres (4 mi) from Hokio Beach on the Tasman Sea. It covers 61.8 hectares (153 acres), but is shallow, less than 1 metre (3 ft) deep. The lake was once a sandy coastal lagoon at the mouth of the Ohau River, and the forested terraces on its landward side were once sea cliffs. Over time, sand dunes built up, the river changed its course, and the sea retreated, until about 9000 years ago the lagoon was dammed and became a dune lake. The bottom of the lake now consists of 15 m of accumulated silt and mud over the original sand, and preserves layers of volcanic ash from eruptions 8,000 and 5,900 years ago. Fossil pollen suggests it was surrounded by continuous forest even after human settlement of the plains. Lake Papaitonga is fed by groundwater and various small streams and springs, and drained by the Waiwiri Stream. Because it is bordered by forest, the lake is oligotrophic, with low levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. The lake was relatively deep and stable until the 1940s, but with the increase in horticulture nearby and the digging of irrigation bores it is becoming increasingly shallow.
...
Wikipedia