BASELINE INFORMATION

• Needs fencing, consideration re shifting sand South west of Te Kao, in Te Arai Reserve owned by Te Aupouri

• 12.9 ha, max depth 1.9
• Ephemeral wetland to west (6ha)
• Catchment mainly scrub, with pine forests to the south and mobile sand dunes to the north-east
• No inlets or outlets
• Access through 3km forestry road past Bulrush Lake

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

History of settlement

ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

• Borders west coast sand dunes
• A special site; contains several plant species that are not typical of the Aupouri ecological district, e.g., Melicytus novae-zelandiae, Myrsine aquilonia, Psilotum nudum, Coprosma neglecta and a suite of distinctive and unusual lancewood and houpara hybrids that all occur sparsely in the forest remnants.
• Also contains a narrow band of raupo reedland around the lake margin; jointed rush sedgeland (rather than restiad sedgeland) on sand flats
• Fern bird
• High wild fowl values
• Regionally threatened dabchick and mallard were noted in 2006
• 1991 report records regionally rare fernbird and nationally threatened bittern

STATUS

NRC ranked low as remote dune lake, little invasive species impact low macrophyte abundance

PRIORITY PROJECT ACTIONS

PLANT SPECIES

Manuka, kanuka, harakeke, tīkouka, lupins, spinifex

PESTS

Wild horses