Lake Horowhenua
Encyclopedia
Lake Horowhenua is located in the Horowhenua, an area of the southern Manawatu-Wanganui
region in New Zealand
's North Island
. It covers an area of 3.9 square kilometres.
The lake, also known as Punahau, lies on a sandy plain two kilometres to the west of Levin
and five kilometres from the coast of the Tasman Sea
. It is a shallow lake, only some two metres in depth, fed by various small streams, and is drained by the Hokio Stream.
ecosystem. Today the trees are gone and the wetland has been substantially drained. The lake is owned by the Māori Muaupoko
iwi
, who, with the help of the Horowhenua Lake Trust, are actively attempting to restore the wetland system (that also contains the smaller Lake Papaitonga) to its former state as a conservation area.
In the 1820s the Muaupoko were attacked by Te Rauparaha
and the Ngati Toa
. Two island pā
on the lake were destroyed and heavy casualties suffered by the Muaupoko people.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Horizons Regional Council.-Administration:...
region in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. It covers an area of 3.9 square kilometres.
The lake, also known as Punahau, lies on a sandy plain two kilometres to the west of Levin
Levin, New Zealand
Levin is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand, and is the largest town in the Horowhenua district. It is 90 kilometres north of Wellington, 50 kilometres south of Palmerston North, and two kilometres to the east of Lake Horowhenua....
and five kilometres from the coast of the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
. It is a shallow lake, only some two metres in depth, fed by various small streams, and is drained by the Hokio Stream.
History
The lake was once surrounded by podocarp forest as the centre of a rich wetlandWetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
ecosystem. Today the trees are gone and the wetland has been substantially drained. The lake is owned by the Māori Muaupoko
Muaupoko
-External links:* in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand...
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
, who, with the help of the Horowhenua Lake Trust, are actively attempting to restore the wetland system (that also contains the smaller Lake Papaitonga) to its former state as a conservation area.
In the 1820s the Muaupoko were attacked by Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough...
and the Ngati Toa
Ngati Toa
Ngāti Toa , an iwi , traces its descent from the eponymous ancestor Toarangatira. The Ngāti Toa region extends from Miria-te-kakara at Rangitikei to Wellington, and across Cook Strait to Wairau and Nelson....
. Two island pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
on the lake were destroyed and heavy casualties suffered by the Muaupoko people.