Lake Rotokare
Lake in the North Island of New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Rotokare is a landslide dammed lake[1] in the New Zealand region of Taranaki. It is located 12 km (7.5 mi) east of Eltham,[2] and is the largest extant remnant of the historic Ngaere swamp complex.
| Lake Rotokare | |
|---|---|
Lake Rotokare | |
  Lake Rotokare | |
| Location | Taranaki, North Island |
| Coordinates | 39.45°S 174.41°E |
| Primary inflows | springs |
| Primary outflows | Te Ararata Stream |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Surface area | 17.8 ha (44 acres) |
| Average depth | 6 m (20 ft) |
The 230 ha (570 acres) Scenic Reserve, in the Tangahoe catchment, is the country's largest wetland and lake habitat inside a predator proof fence. It is administered by South Taranaki District Council and Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust. Species in the Reserve include raupō, harakeke, purei/makura, pukatea, kahikatea, coprosma, swamp maire, swamp millet, jointed baumea, Australasian bittern, spotless crake, fernbird, gold-striped gecko, banded kōkopu, koura, and short and longfin eels.[1]
Lake Rotokare should not be confused with Barrett Lagoon near New Plymouth, which has the alternative Māori language name of Rotokare.
History
Reintroduction of native bird species
A number of bird species have been reintroduced into the reserve:
- Western Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) in 2012
- Tīeke/saddleback and pōpokatea/whitehead in May 2014.[4]
- Hihi (Stitchbird) in 2017 with additional birds added to the population in 2018.[5]
- Pāteke (Brown Teal) in May 2019.[6]
- Titipounamu (Rifleman) in 2019[7]
