The Tuia Mātauranga Pōkai Whenua GeoTour follows the footsteps of early explorers of Aotearoa New Zealand taking you to places where leaders of the past searched for food, resources and ways to adapt and survive in this new land.
Use the Pōkai Whenua GeoTour as your classroom to you explore the stories of the past, in the present, to preserve what is unique in Aotearoa New Zealand for the future.
Collect the codewords to get the Geocoin puzzle pieces
To be able to complete this GeoTour and receive your special Geocoin collectable, remember to take a note of the codeword placed in the cache. This will need to be recorded in your passport which can be downloaded here.
The cache
The cache is an ammo can. It can be reached without climbing over the fence. Look for a section of fence with no barbed wire. The cache is behind a post within an arms reach. Cover well with leaves after returning. Be careful with the pampas as it is a type of cutty grass.
About Lake Whatumā
Lake Whatumā is located approximately 3 km south of Waipukurau and is an oval shaped shallow lake (maximum depth 0.8 m) with a surface area of 160 hectares, with an additional adjacent wetland margin of around 76 hectares. The lake is jointly managed by Department of Conservation and adjacent landowners. The lake today is a wildlife refuge for many threatened species of waterfowl and has the largest population of Australasian bittern (kāka or matuku) in Hawkes Bay. In 2017, the lake was identified as one of the six environmental hotspots by Hawkes Bay Regional Council.
Cultural values
Lake Whatumā is a significant waterway for Heretaunga Tamatea. It lies at the heart of their spiritual and cultural wellbeing and identity. The lake derives its name from its use as a plentiful source of kai and is a taonga of great significance. Throughout history, many hapū utilised the lake resources. Around 900 tāngata whenua lived around the lake edges in 1852. The lake was a significant mahinga kai. It was particularly known for eels (tuna), but also other freshwater fish, freshwater mussels, birds (including kererū), and raupō pollen. The name of the lake is said to be a reference to the lake’s first discoverers eating until they were fully satisfied. Up until the 1940s the local hapū undertook regular food-gathering excursions to Lake Whatumā. Continued drainage and the impacts of surrounding land use meant that by the 1950s, the lake had degraded as a food source for hapū.
Current ecological values and restoration plans
There have been plans for many years to restore the lake and various planning documents have been written. However there has been no consensus between landowners, Department of Conservation and iwi over the measures needed to restore the lake. The major problem lies over water levels which reduce in dry summers and increase during wet winters. The waterfowl and bittern are dependent on higher lake levels for food resources. The water level of Lake Whatumā is artificially controlled via a weir. Six species of fish have been recorded in the lake, including longfin eel, shortfin eel, common bully, goldfish and rainbow trout.
The lake is recognised as providing a particularly important habitat for eels (tuna). The native Australasian bittern(kāka),once a food source for Māori with their feathers being used for ceremonial decoration was abundant when Europeans arrived. It is now extremely rare, with the total New Zealand population estimated to be between 750 and 1000. Lake Whatumā supports around 1% of the national population, and 25% of the total population in Hawke’s Bay. The lake is recognised as being one of the most accessible sites to listen or watch for bittern.
Recreational use of the lake
Lake Whatumā is highly valued for its gamebird hunting, with the lake supporting a significant population of the dabbling duck population in Hawke’s Bay. A number of maimais are located in and around the lake. Historically, the lake was used for a range of recreational uses including rowing, sailing and speed boating. However due to the frequently low lake levels these activities ceased some time ago. In the past, algae blooms have occurred at Lake Whatumā which severely impacted on the recreational values of the lake. Geocachers visiting this lake should watch out for any bitterns foraging along the shoreline or listen for booming in the reserve and report these observations to the Department of Conservation office in Napier.