Otago wetlands
Lake Waipori, Lake Waihola and their associated wetlands are the most significant waterfowl habitat in Otago. The lakes are shallow and drain through an extensive swamp into the Waipori River then the Taieri River. The swampland includes vegetated islands, lagoons, shallow pools, meandering channels and backswamps.
Waipori wetlands
Despite the ability of the lakes to support large numbers of birds, the lake waters are of low quality, particularly because of sewage, stormwater, dairy shed and farmland discharges. Drainage schemes have drained the wetlands although the Sinclair Wetlands between the two lakes has survived and is protected under a QE II covenant.
Places to visit
There is a Visitor Centre at the Sinclair Wetlands. Off State Highway 87 from Dunedin to Middlemarch, a walking track provides access through to Sutton Salt Lake, an inland saline lake with an average depth of 30cm and salinity of 15 percent. The lake has no known inflow or outflow.