Aotea Lagoon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aotea Lagoon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | North Island |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Lake type | artificial lagoon |
| Primary inflows | Porirua Harbour and stormwater drains |
| Primary outflows | Porirua Harbour |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Surface area | 5 ha [1] |
| Shore length1 | 732 m |
| Surface elevation | sea level |
| Settlements | Papakowhai |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Aotea Lagoon is an artificial lagoon and public park, covering 7 ha,[1] in Papakowhai, North Island, New Zealand. The lagoon formed when transport links were realigned from the natural coastline to land reclaimed from Porirua Harbour.
Contents |
[edit] Hydrology
Aotea Lagoon is tidal. The culvert, from Porirua Harbour,[2] enters the lagoon under the model windmill.[3] Three stormwater drains flow into the lagoon,[2] two from the east and one from the south-east under the pier.
The lagoon's "water body receives limited flushing and aeration" and "little can be done to improve water quality without extensive engineering works."[2]
[edit] History
Between 1958 and 1961 a causeway was built in Porirua Harbour to realign the North Island Main Trunk Railway.[4] Running north-east from the city centre to Paremata, the causeway cut straight across three bays turning them into lagoons:
- southern - south of the Gear Homestead headland
- central - that became Aotea Lagoon
- northern - north of the headland where Thurso Grove now stands, around Papakowhai Reserve
To realign State Highway 1 inland of the railway the lagoons were partly filled with material from the Ministry of Works and Development's local earthworks. These included the central lagoon's eastern and southern neighbours: the Royal New Zealand Police College and Whitford Brown Avenue. The Ministry and local service clubs transformed the area around the central lagoon into a public park that opened in 1980, Porirua City Council took over the park in 1994.[5][4]
[edit] Facilities
The park's centerpiece is the lagoon and its perimeter path used for walking and running.
South-west of the lagoon is Pipitea Station on the ¼ scale Aotea ridable miniature railway that features an 833 m long track,[6] two bridges and a tunnel. Built and operated by the Waitangirua Lions,[5][4] the train runs:
Sunday 1-4 p.m., public holiday 1-4 p.m., rain no train
—Aotea Railway operating hours posted at Pipitea Station
Other facilities clockwise from the north-east:
- adventure playground
- fenced duck pond crossed by a boardwalk, connected to the lagoon by a weir
- island in the lagoon reached by a footbridge
- Pétanque pitch
- smaller duck pond, rose garden and shadehouse containing a fernery in the south-west corner
There are also barbecues and toilets.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Porirua City Council (1994), p.1.
- ^ a b c Porirua City Council (1994), p.40. Water Quality section.
- ^ Porirua City Council (1994), p.7.
- ^ a b c Porirua City Council (1994), pp.4-7. History section containing aerial photographs of the causeway and lagoon under construction.
- ^ a b Porirua City Council. History of Aotea Lagoon (HTML). Porirua City Council. Retrieved on 2008-03-23. Abridged from Porirua City Council (1994), History section, pp.4-7 (see above).
- ^ Canterbury Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (2002), p.2.
[edit] References
- Porirua City Council (1994). Aotea Lagoon Management Plan. Porirua City Council. Reference copy held in Porirua City Library, Local History section, classification Qz 993.147 AOT REF. Appendix 1, Aotea Lagoon Existing Facilities is a map of the park as of 1994.
- Canterbury Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (2002). Mini Railways in New Zealand, 2nd Edition (PDF). Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
