Lake Ngaroto is a peat

Peat

Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

 lake in Waipa District

Waipa District

Waipa District Council in the Waikato region of New Zealand is a municipality that covers Te Awamutu, Cambridge and several small towns. The seat of the council is at Te Awamutu. The district's population at the was , of whom approximately 35% lived in each of the main two towns. The district has...

 of 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...

.

Located 19 km south of Hamilton

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

 and 8 km north-west of Te Awamutu

Te Awamutu

Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it...

, it has a surface area of 108 ha, making it the largest of the Waipa peat lakes. The lake is hypertrophic, leading to eutrophication

Eutrophication

Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...

 with corresponding poor water quality.

History

The Battle of Hingakaka

Battle of Hingakaka

The Battle of Hingakaka was reputedly "the largest battle ever fought on New Zealand soil".A force of 7,000 to 10,000 warriors, led by a Ngāti Toa chief Pikauterangi, from the Marokopa district of the lower North Island invaded the Waipa District, to restore honour. He was aggrieved over the poor...

 was fought nearby, and the sacred carving Te Uenuku

Te Uenuku

Te Uenuku, or simply Uenuku is an important early Māori carving housed at Te Awamutu Museum in the North Island of New Zealand.The taonga is of extreme significance both to the local Tainui Māori people and also for its archaeological value. The carving is unique in form, and bears a noted...

lost at this time. It was re-discovered in 1906, and now resides in the Te Awamutu Museum.

Recreation

• Power boats are banned from the lake, so Lake Ngaroto is popular for sailing and rowing.
• During the New Zealand Duck Shooting Season (May and June), the lake is used for duck shooting.

External links

• Lake Ngaroto at Lake Ecosystem Restoration New Zealand