Lake Kimihia
Riverine lake in North Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Kimihia is located approximately 5 km to the Northeast of Huntly, in the Waikato Region of New Zealand. Lake Kimihia is a riverine lake, which links to the Waikato River.[1]
| Lake Kimihia | |
|---|---|
 Lake Kimihia from Waikato Expressway in 2021 | |
  Lake Kimihia Location within North Island | |
| Location | North Island |
| Coordinates | 37°31′30″S 175°11′30″E |
| Type | riverine lake |
| 1,485 ha (3,670 acres) | |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 1.1 km (0.68 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.4 km (0.25 mi) |
Surface area | 0.55 km2 (140 acres) |
Average depth | 3.3 m (11 ft) |
Lake Kimihia was significantly modified as a result of open cast coal mining, around the early 1940s.[2] A cofferdam was built to allow mining over most of the bed, by reducing the lake from its previous 318 ha (790 acres).[3] In the 1960s there were two lakes,[4] but the westerly one has been replaced by a wetland.[5]
The lake is situated within predominantly pastoral land. An area at the southern end of the lake is being developed into a wetland,[6] as the Huntly bypass of the Waikato Expressway is built across part of the former lakebed.[7]
