Lake Whangape | |
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Lake Whangape is in the Waikato region of the North Island. | |
Location | Waikato District, Waikato region, North Island |
Coordinates | 37°28′S 175°03′E / 37.467°S 175.050°E |
Lake type | riverine lake |
Primary inflows | Awaroa Stream (NB a different stream, with the same name, further south, flows into Lake Waahi) |
Primary outflows | Whangape Stream |
Catchment area | 310 km2 (120 sq mi) |
Basin countries | New Zealand |
Max. length | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
Surface area | 1,450 ha (3,600 acres) |
Average depth | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) |
Max. depth | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
Shore length1 | 29 km (18 mi) |
Surface elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
Islands | Motukauere Is, Roaroa Is |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Lake Whangape (also written as Wangape,[1] Whangapu,[2] or Whangapae)[3] is shallow, supertrophic,[4] lateral[5] and the second largest lake (after Lake Waikare) in the lower Waikato River basin in New Zealand.[4] One source said the name translated to 'a large sheet of water',[6] another that it was a chief's name.[7]
From the 1860s the catchment has lost most of its forest cover and the lake has changed from clear and rich in aquatic vegetation to a murky, algal lake.