Lake Kohangapiripiri

Lake Kohangapiripiri is a shallow coastal lake located in Greater Wellington’s East Harbour Regional Park on the south coast.

Due to its natural state, the lake supports a wide range of native plants and animals, including a number of threatened species. It is one of the few remaining catchments in New Zealand where introduced freshwater fish have not been recorded.

Lake Kohangapiripiri is the smaller of the two Parangarahu Lakes, with an area of 11 hectares and a maximum depth of 1.8 metres. The land use of the Lake Kohangapiripiri catchment is predominantly indigenous forest, scrublands and regenerating pastoral lands, with significant wetlands to the north of the lake.

Kohangapiripiri is also a popular location for a range of recreational activities, and supports significant cultural values by encompassing a range of Maori historic sites. Particularly noteworthy are the presence of dendroglyphs (a rare form of Māori art), which can be seen carved into Karaka trees to the north of the catchment.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council carries out periodical LakeSPI monitoring at Lake Kohangapiripiri; the last observations were recorded in February 2016. Compared to other lakes around New Zealand, Lake Kohangapiripiri has not been highly modified and is in a state of "moderate" ecological condition.

A lack of modification to the lake has caused it to be separated from the Cook Strait by a naturally occurring gravel bar. This separation of sea and freshwater has led to a low diversity of native freshwater fish which require access to the sea to complete their lifecycles.

Lake Summary

Lake size

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Scientific data for this lake

This dashboard shows information on the data collected by the regional councils and unitary authorities for two lake water quality and ecological condition measurements. LakeSPI (Lake Submerged Plant Indicators) and TLI (Trophic Level Index). Select an indicator to see the historical monitoring data.

Water Quality

Trophic Level Index (TLI)

This measure is the Trophic Level Index (TLI). The TLI indicates the life supporting capacity of a lake and is based on four water quality indicators.

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Trophic Level Index (TLI) history for this lake

Trophic Level Indicator (TLI) which measures four parameters: water clarity, chlorophyll content, total phosphorus and total nitrogen. From these parameters a TLI value is calculated. In cases where water clarity data is missing a three parameter TLI is calculated. The higher the value, the greater the nutrients and fertility of the water which encourages growth, including algal blooms. As a rule, higher TLI scores mean poorer water quality. View a factsheet on TLI

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TLI history for Lake Kohangapiripiri

Year

What do the icons mean?

Very good water quality. Trophic Level Index of 0-2. Microtrophic lake conditions.

Good water quality. Trophic Level Index of 2-3. Oligotrophic lake conditions.

Average water quality. Trophic Level Index of 3-4. Mesotrophic lake conditions.

Poor water quality. Trophic Level Index of 4-5. Eutrophic lake conditions.

Very poor water quality. Trophic Level Index of greater than 5. Supertrophic lake conditions.

No data available.

TLI history for Lake Kohangapiripiri data table

Year	TLI Score

Year	TLI Score

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Ecological Conditions

Lake Submerged Plant Indicators (LakeSPI)

The LakeSPI status describes the ecological condition of the lake and is based on plants present.

LakeSPI data provided by NIWA

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LakeSPI history for this lake

LakeSPI (Lake Submerged Plant Indicators) is a method of characterising the ecological condition of lakes based on the composition of native and invasive plants growing in them. A higher LakeSPI percentage result is associated with better ecological health:

LakeSPI	N/A
LakeSPI	{{spiData.details.Value}}%

The overall LakeSPI score is calculated using a Native Condition Index ('good' plants) and an Invasive Impact Index (introduced, non-native plants):

Native Condition	N/A
Native Condition	{{spiData.details.NativeIndex}}%

Invasive Impact	N/A
Invasive Impact	{{spiData.details.InvasiveIndex}}%	NA

A higher Native Condition value indicates better ecological condition, but a higher Invasive Impact value indicates invasive plants are negatively impacting native plant communities.
View a factsheet on LakeSPI for more information on these indicators.

LakeSPI
Native Condition
Invasive Impact

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LakeSPI history for Lake Kohangapiripiri

Year

What is this graph showing me?

This graph is displaying the overall LakeSPI score over time. The results denote the ecological condition of the lake.

Excellent ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 75-100%.

High ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 50-75%.

Moderate ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 20-50%.

Poor ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 0-20%.

Non-vegetated. A LakeSPI score of 0% (there are no plants present).

No data available.

LakeSPI history for Lake Kohangapiripiri data table

Sample Date	LakeSPI Status	LakeSPI %	Native Condition Index %	Invasive Impact Index %

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NIWA LakeSPI is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 3.0 New Zealand License 2012. Visit the NIWA LakeSPI website.

LakeSPI information has been provided by NIWA.

Sites

Monitored sites on Lake Kohangapiripiri

...retrieving sites.

No sites found.