Hawke's Bay LakesNgā roto o Te Matau-a-Māui

Lakes

Hawke's Bay has several lakes, ranging from small shallow lakes to large, deep lakes, the largest of which is Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urewera.

For water quality information from our monitoring visit the LAWA website.

Lake Monitoring

Hawke's Bay Regional Council monitors the water quality and health of 12 lakes in the region (from north to south):

• Lake Waikaremoana (data buoy only)
• Lake Whakakī
• Lake Rotonuiahā
• Lake Rotoroa (in partnership with Ngāti Pāhauwera)
• Lake Rotongaio
• Lake Rototuna - Western Kaweka Lake
• Lake Opouahi
• Lake Tūtira
• Lake Orakai
• Lake Waikōpiro
• Rūnanga Lake
• Lake Whatumā

Other lakes that the Regional Council does not monitor include Horseshoe Lake, Lake Hurimoana, Kautuku Swamp, Lake Oingo and Lake Poukawa.
In addition to routine water quality monitoring, we undertake projects to assess other aspects of lake ecosystem health, including fish surveys and aquatic plant (macrophyte) studies. For more details on aquatic plants, read the latest report: Assessment of lakes in the Hawke’s Bay Region using LakeSPI

We are also working with our communities and other agencies to protect Hawke’s Bay’s lakes and restore those with poor water quality.

Live Water Quality Data

Lake Tūtira Profiling Buoy

The monitoring buoy in Lake Tūtira is located above one of the lake’s deepest points (42m) and provides near-real-time water quality data at multiple depths.

This buoy plays a key role in monitoring algal blooms, enabling the shift from a permanent swimming advisory to an adaptive risk management approach.

The buoy measures dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin, water temperature, pH, conductivity, depth, and turbidity.

The data is available on the Tūtira Lake Dashboard or available to view here: Lake Tūtira Buoy.

Lake Waikōpiro Buoy

The monitoring buoy in the centre of Lake Waikōpiro (14m depth) provides near-real-time water quality data.

The buoy measures dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin, water temperature, pH, conductivity, and turbidity.

The data is available to view here: Lake Waikōpiro Buoy.

Whakakī Lake

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has a monitoring platform in the centre of Lake Whakakī which provides near-real-time water quality data.

The monitoring platform measures: dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a and phycocyanin, water temperature, pH, conductivity, turbidity, and water level.

The data is available to view here: Lake Whakakī.

Lake Waikaremoana Buoy

The Tuai monitoring buoy has been operating in Lake Waikaremoana since 2009 as part of a partnership between Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Eastern Fish and Game, and Genesis Energy.

It measures water temperature at multiple depths (0.5m to 70m), surface and bottom dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, turbidity and meteorological variables such as rainfall, wind speed, and wind direction.

The data is available to view here: Lake Waikaremoana Buoy.