Lake Ngatu Track
Track category
Walking track
Time:
1 hr
Distance:
4 km
Description
Birds often frequent the lake edges
An easy walking track leads you around the edge of this dune lake that is situated within a Recreation Reserve.
10,000 Steps Northland
This track equates to approximately 5,000 steps.
10,000 Steps Northland recommends this track as an ideal place to take the kids and all the family for some outdoor enjoyment. Find out more about Lake Ngatu Track and 10,000 Steps Northland (PDF, 50K)
Getting there
Lake Ngatu is located a 15 minute drive north of Kaitaia on West Coast Road.
Activities
Bird and wildlife watching
About the area
Lake Ngatu is a dune lake. Kaitaia-based community group Bushland Trust is working towards improving the Lake's water quality through the creation of filtration areas of native plants on both the lake edge and on adjacent agricultural land. This is part of the community group's wider project to restore the Sweetwater Lakes, just north of Kaitaia.
Paparore School has an ongoing programme of revegetation within the reserve adjacent to the school.
The 2011 World Wetlands Day was launched at Lake Ngatu. Read more about the celebration.
The Far North area of Kaitaia/Mangonui/Karikari is an area renowned for its role in New Zealand history for both Maori and Pakeha. It also includes some important habitats, which are home to rare and threatened plant and animal life.
This diverse area features broad beaches of white sand, rocky headlands and intimate sheltered bays rimmed with pohutukawa forest. The conservation values of this region, its lakes and surrounding ocean are high.
History
Archaeological evidence indicates the Far North was first settled by Polynesian ancestors of the Maori about 900 years ago. The region around Mangonui was well populated before the arrival of Europeans with archaeological sites revealing the extent of this settlement. A number of pa sites remain visible, well preserved and accessible to the public. Maori pa were fortified sites that provided protection in times of warfare, usually built on hills and headlands with good natural defences. These natural features were extended by man-made ditches, banks and palisades.
The region was important early during European contact. Both Cook and de Surville visited within days of each other in 1769, and in the early 1800'2 Mangonui was an important whaling and trading port.
The Dalmatian community around Ahipara were involved in the extraction of kauri gum. The gum was used for lacquers, paint and linoleum, and was also reputedly the best varnish in the world for musical instruments.