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Lake Camp

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Coordinates: 43°36′54″S 171°3′25″E / 43.61500°S 171.05694°E / -43.61500; 171.05694
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Lake Camp
Ōtuatari (Māori)[1]
Fishing at Lake Camp
Lake Camp
Map
LocationAshburton District, Canterbury region, South Island
Coordinates43°36′54″S 171°3′25″E / 43.61500°S 171.05694°E / -43.61500; 171.05694
Surface area43.8 ha (108 acres)[2]
Max. depth13 m (43 ft)[2]
Surface elevation680 m (2,230 ft)[3]

Lake Camp (Māori: Ōtuatari)[1] is located in inland Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand.[4] The lake has a surface area of 43.8 ha (108 acres),[2] and is 30 km (19 mi) northwest of the small settlement of Mount Somers. The lake lies immediately to the south of the Hakatere Potts Road.[5]

Lake Camp and the nearby Lake Clearwater (Te Puna a Taka) are part of the Ashburton Lakes (Ōtūwharekai), an area of cultural importance to the iwi Ngāi Tahu because they were a significant food-gathering area and also on a main route for travel between the east and west coasts of the South Island (Te Waipounamu).[1]

Lake Camp is designated as a recreation reserve,[6] and is owned by the Department of Conservation. However, the lake and the adjoining Lake Clearwater village are administered by the Ashburton District Council.[7] The lake is popular for recreation in summer, including swimming and water skiing. In 2024, the community raised concerns about the low level of the lake, and advocated for the re-instatement of a former diversion of the Balmacaan Stream to add inflows to the lake to improve the recreational potential.[8] The diversion had been in place for 50 years, but a resource consent for the diversion expired in 2020.[7][9][10] The Ashburton District Council decided not to seek a new resource consent, because of the high costs and uncertain outcome.[10]

Camping around the lake is permitted only on the eastern and northern sides of the lake. Recreational vehicles such as 4WD and ATV are not permitted along the southern boundary, and dogs are prohibited anywhere around the lake or in the Lake Clearwater village.[11]

During summer periods, the water quality in the lake is monitored against standards for recreational use. The trophic level index for the lake (a measure of nutrient status) has generally ranged between 3 and 4 over the period 2009 to 2023, ranking as "Fair".[12] A case study report published by the Ministry for the Environment in 2023 reported that all the Ōtūwharekai / Ashburton Lakes were nutrient-enriched, with some at risk of deteriorating further into severe eutrophic states, changing from clear water with vegetation, to turbid algae-dominated water.[13] The study reported that pastoral farming was the source for more than 90% of nutrients. Seepage of human waste at Lake Clearwater and Lake Camp was a contributor, but represented less than 10% of the nutrient inflow.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Lakes Camp and Clearwater". Ashburton District Council. 29 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Lake Camp / Ōtautari". Our Lakes our Future. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  3. ^ "NZ Topo Map - Lake Camp". topomap.co.nz. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  4. ^ "New Zealand Gazetteer". New Zealand Geographic Board. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Hakatere Conservation Park" (PDF). Department of Conservation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  6. ^ "LINZ Data Service - Protected Areas dataset". Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b Leask, Jonathan (19 August 2024). "Community makes last-ditch plea ahead of Lake Camp meeting". RNZ. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Ongoing dry conditions put strain on lakes and rivers". Environment Canterbury. 29 July 2024. ProQuest 3085312262 – via LiveNews.co.nz.
  9. ^ Leask, Jonathan (29 July 2024). "Fears deepen for Canterbury's shrinking lake". RNZ. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  10. ^ a b Leask, Jonathan (26 September 2024). "'Right call' to pull plug on Lake Camp consent". RNZ. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Lake Camp". Experience Mid Canterbury. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Lake Camp at main swimming beach Water Quality". Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA). Archived from the original on 8 February 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  13. ^ Davis, Sharon (3 December 2023). "Ashburton Lakes remediation plan expected to be complete before year end". Rural Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2025 – via New Zealand Herald.
  14. ^ "Õtüwharekai/Ashburton Lakes lessons-learnt report: A case study examining ongoing deterioration of water quality in the Otuwharekai lakes" (PDF). Ministry for the Environment. May 2023. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
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Media related to Lake Camp at Wikimedia Commons


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