Hawke's Bay wetlands
Ahuriri Estuary in Hawke's Bay
Ahuriri Estuary is a modified estuarine wetland complex adjacent to and immediately north of Napier.
The long, narrow nature of this estuary combined with the wide variety of saline conditions, water depths, flow characteristic and sediments provides for an extremely diverse range of ecological communities.
The estuary is used for shellfish gathering, swimming, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing, bird-watching, picnicking and walking.
Other significant estuarine wetlands in Hawke's Bay are the Waitangi Estuary (mouth of the combined Tutaekuri and Ngaruroro Rivers) and the Porangahau Estuary in southern Hawke's Bay.
Lakes Tutira, Poukawa and Hatuma are the largest of the open freshwater wetlands found in this district and all provide important waterfowl habitat and recreational opportunities.