Lake Ōkataina
Template:Short description Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Infobox body of water Lake Ōkataina (also spelled Okataina; Template:Langx or Template:Lang) is the northernmost and largest of four smaller lakes lying between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Rotokākahi (Green Lake), Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), and Lake Ōkareka. All lie within the Ōkataina caldera, along its western edge.
Geography
Unlike many other lakes in the region, Lake Ōkataina is completely encircled by native forest. Over the past 30 years, the level of the lake has risen and fallen in a range of about 5 metres. The mean autumn lake level is Template:Convert.<ref name=White2016/>Template:Rp
The lake can be accessed by road via Hinehopu on the southern shores of Lake Rotoiti. At the end of the road there is a large sandy beach, a massive grassed area and the privately owned Okataina Lodge. Due to changes in the surface level of the lake, the lodge jetty has at times been either completely submerged or left high and dry.
On its south-western arm is a small island, Motuwhetero Island.
Water Flow
The lake is feed by multiple unnamed and often transient streams with a total catchment precipitation inflow average of Template:Convert.<ref name=White2016/>Template:Rp The only named streams that empty into the lake are the Herupapaoa Stream and Pukahu Streams.<ref name=White2016/>Template:Rp The Te Rereoterangi Stream joins the permanent Herupapaoa Stream before it enters the lake.<ref name=White2016/>Template:Rp The lake has no surface outflow and a outflow to Lake Tarawera of Template:Convert has been estimated.<ref name=White2016/>Template:Rp
Geology
It is located in the Ōkataina Caldera and some of its south-eastern shore has discoloured hot water sources in the lake.<ref name=White2016/>Template:Rp The western shore is underlaid by Mamaku ignimbrite from the Rotorua Caldera eruption of 240,000 years ago.<ref name="Bégué2014">Template:Cite journal</ref> The rest of the lake catchment has rhyolite formations from Ōkataina eruptions.<ref name=White2016/>Template:Rp
After the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera the lake level increased, to a maximum height about 1930 which dropped to present levels after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. The lake is now about Template:Convert above its pre 1886 level.<ref name=Law2008>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
Culture
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of laughter" for Ōkataina.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to traditional accounts the name was given by the rangatira Te Rangitakaroro, who lived at Te Koutu, since he was once paralysed with laughter at a joke while sitting on a rock near the lake.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The lake and surrounds were occupied by the Ngāti Tarāwhai iwi.
Te Koutu Pā was located on the north-east shore of Lake Ōkataina.<ref name=TeKoutuPa>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The carved entrance gate, is to be found in the Auckland War Memorial Museum.<ref name=TeKoutuPaPicture>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Because of war raids before 1886,<ref name=TeKoutuPa/> and flooding after 1886, the previous sites of occupation on the lake shore were abandoned by the Māori Ngāti Tarāwhai inhabitants.<ref name=Law2008/>Template:Rp Both a drowned Pā and shrine has been found.<ref name=Law2008/>Template:Rp A palisade post found under water near Motuwhetero Island confirms that the older low lake level had been present for at least about 100 years before the 1886 eruption.<ref name=Law2008/>Template:Rp Rock art in the form of a canoe in red ochre has been described.<ref name=Law2008/>Template:Rp
Ecology
The lake is surrounded by pristine virgin native forest and has good fishing for rainbow trout.<ref name=Fishing>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The area around the Okataina Lodge is heavily populated by tammar wallabies introduced from Australia in the 19th century.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is known that these have impacted on the seedling layer of the forest, drastically reducing seedling density and diversity, and causing the disappearance of preferred food species. The local red deer prevent seedlings from maturing into saplings and the combined effect has been a profound depletion of the forest under storey.<ref name=pests>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Its trophic level index was 2.7 in 2014, being the lowest of the Ōkataina Caldera lakes.<ref name=White2016/>Template:Rp