LAKE PUPUKE

'Lake Pupuke' is a freshwater lake occupying a volcanic explosion crater between the suburbs of Takapuna and Milford on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. Located less than 500 m distance from the sea at one point, it has a circumference of around 6 km and reaches about 60 m in depth. It is popular for recreational activities and lakefront property.

Contents

Geology

History

Māori

European

Human use

References

External links

Geology

Other similar craters in the Auckland Volcanic Field were either buried by later eruptions, or breached by erosion as rainwater collected and overflowed the edge of the crater. Lake Pupuke remains a lake because, unlike the other vents, its eruptions produced substantial lava flows; water can thus escape through cracks in the lava reaching under the crater wall, creating a series of freshwater springs along the beaches between Takapuna and Milford. The lava flow at the end of Takapuna Beach enveloped a kauri forest, producing a collection of tree moulds. Some of these have escaped burial by the boat ramp and car park built on top of the lava, and can be viewed at low tide.^[1]

History

Māori

A Māori myth surrounding the lake tells of a Tupua couple, children of the Fire Gods. After quarreling and cursing Mahuika, the fire-goddess, their home on the mainland was destroyed by Mataoho, god of earthquakes and eruptions on Mahuika's behalf. Lake Pupuke resulted from the destruction, while Rangitoto island rose from the sea as their exile. The mists surrounding Rangitoto at certain times are considered the tears of the Tupua couple for their former home.^[2]

European

In 1894, a pump house was built on the shore of the lake to supply fresh water to the local area. This was replaced in 1906 by a second pump house. As a result of increasing demand, the water level of the lake fell and water quality decreased. The use of the lake as a fresh water supply was discontinued in 1944 when new supplies were sourced from reservoirs in the Waitakere Ranges. The second pump house became a protected building (Category II) under the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1983 and is maintained as a theatre and art gallery.^[3] There is also a café adjacent to the old pump house.

Human use

Close to the Takapuna city centre, the lake is popular not only with wild birds (such as shags) but with picnickers, paddlers, rowers, yachtsman, divers and since recently (2007), recreational fishermen, who catch the rainbow trout released into the lake from a fish hatchery (however, as there are no actual streams entering or leaving the lake, trout will not be able to reproduce naturally, and new trout will have to be released periodically).^[4] The increasing popularity has led to recent concern over water quality.

References

1. Education Kit - Volcanoes (from the Auckland War Memorial Museum website, page 12. Accessed 2007-05-23)
2. Rangitoto (from the Auckland Regional Council website)
3. History of The PumpHouse (from the official website)
4. ''Lake's new attraction - gold at the end of the rainbow'' - ''New Zealand Herald'', Monday 07 May 2007

External links

★ Former Pumphouse (database entry in the Historic Places Register)

★ The PumpHouse (from the official theatre and art gallery website)