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Lake Heron

Coordinates: 43°28′45″S 171°10′19″E / 43.47917°S 171.17194°E / -43.47917; 171.17194
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For the Great Lake in North America, see Lake Huron.

Lake Heron
Ōtūroto (Māori)[1]
A view of Lake Heron over wetland plants
Lake Heron and wetland plants
Map
LocationAshburton District, Canterbury region, South Island
Coordinates43°28′45″S 171°10′19″E / 43.47917°S 171.17194°E / -43.47917; 171.17194
Primary inflowsSwin River
Primary outflowsLake Stream
Surface area695 ha (1,720 acres)[2]
Max. depth37 m (121 ft)[2]
Surface elevation691 m (2,267 ft)[3]

Lake Heron (Māori: Ōtūroto)[1] is a high-country lake located in inland Canterbury in the Ashburton District of the South Island of New Zealand.[4] It is one of the Ashburton Lakes. The lake is managed by the Department of Conservation. The lake is a protected area, designated as the Lake Heron Nature Reserve under section 20 of the Reserves Act 1977, and as the Lake Heron Wildlife Refuge under section 14 of the Wildlife Act 1953.[5] The southeastern shoreline of Lake Heron adjoins one of the parcels of protected conservation land in the Hakatere Conservation Park.[6]

The surface elevation of the lake is 691 m (2,267 ft)[3] and it has a surface area of 695 ha (1,720 acres).[7] It is 40.5 km (25.2 mi) by road northwest of the small settlement of Mount Somers and is located in the upper catchment area of the Rakaia River.[2] The land surrounding the lake is mostly marshland and low hills, but Mt Sugarloaf (altitude 1,238 m (4,062 ft)) rises steeply from the north-eastern shoreline.[4][8] Mt Sugarloaf is an example of a roche moutonnée, a formation that has been shaped by the passing of a glacier.[9] It is listed by the Ashburton District Council in their District Plan 2022 as an Area of Significant Nature Conservation Value.[10]

Lake Heron / Ōtūroto is an area of cultural importance to the iwi Ngāi Tahu because it was a significant food-gathering area and was also on a main route for travel between the Hakatere and the Rakaia trails to Te Tai Poutini (the West Coast Region).[11]

The ecological condition of the lake as measured by the composition of native and invasive plants in the water, was rated as "moderate" in 2023. The trophic level index for the lake (a measure of nutrient status) has ranged between 2.6 and 4.6 over the period 2009 to 2023, showing significant deterioration since 2014. In 2023 the water quality was rated as "Poor" (eutrophic).[1] 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.[12] The study reported that pastoral farming was the source for more than 90% of nutrients.[13]

The Lake Heron station that borders the lake is a high-country farm of just under 20,000 ha (49,000 acres). The station has been held by the Todhunter family for over a century.[9][14] As of 2025 the owners of Lake Heron station are members of the Ashburton Lakes Catchment Group that has been formed to respond to the declining water quality in the lakes.[15]

A panoramic view featuring snowy mountains reflecting in the lake

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Lake Heron / Ōtūroto". Land Air Water Aotearoa. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Lake Heron". Experience Mid Canterbury. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Lake Heron". NZ Topo Maps. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Lake Heron". New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  5. ^ "LINZ Data Service - Protected Areas dataset". Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Hakatere Conservation Park" (PDF). Department of Conservation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Lake Heron / Ōtūroto". Our Lakes our Future. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Investigation of Lake Heron, its tributaries and Outlet Stream" (PDF). NIWA. December 1959. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  9. ^ a b Yardley, Mike (13 February 2024). "Experience up there". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Operative District Plan: Section 3 Rural Zones" (PDF). Ashburton District Council. February 2022. p. 3-85. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Ancient paths". Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ Vance, Andrea; MacGregor, Iain (7 May 2020). "Vanishing Lands". Stuff. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  15. ^ Cronshaw, Tim (26 March 2025). "Testing the waters". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
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Media related to Lake Heron, New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons

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