Aotea Lagoon
| Aotea Lagoon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Aotea Lagoon from the north-east in 2007: miniature railway station is in the centre with the model windmill to the right then State Highway 1 (now 59), the North Island Main Trunk railway and Porirua Harbour (now Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour) further right. | |
  Aotea Lagoon | |
| Location | Porirua |
| Coordinates | 41°7′12″S 174°51′25″E / 41.12000°S 174.85694°E |
| Type | Lagoon |
| Primary inflows | Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour and stormwater drains |
| Primary outflows | Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Surface area | 5 ha (12 acres) |
| Shore length1 | 0.732 km (0.455 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Islands | 1 |
| Settlements | Papakōwhai |
| Website | Official website  |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Aotea Lagoon is an artificial lagoon surrounded by a public park in the Papakōwhai suburb of Porirua, New Zealand.
History[edit]
The North Island Main Trunk railway and State Highway 1 used to run around three bays from Porirua city centre through Papakōwhai. The bays were between the mouth of Porirua Stream and promontories at Gear Homestead, Thurso Grove and Brora Crescent. In 1958–1961, the construction of a causeway, to realign the railway, cut the bays off from the sea turning them into lagoons. To realign the state highway, the lagoons were partly filled in.[1]
Having built state housing in the city, the Ministry of Works and Development was also required to develop reserves for recreation. They proposed filling in the central lagoon for playing fields. However, local leaders suggested an aquatic reserve around the lagoon instead.[1] In November 1973, the ministry estimated the playing fields would cost $300,000 or $275,000 for the aquatic reserve. They offered Porirua City Council a contribution of $200,000.[2] By August 1975, councillors had chosen the aquatic reserve, and, due to rising costs, secured a contribution of $290,000.[3] The ministry shaped the park with material from the earthworks for the Royal New Zealand Police College and Whitford Brown Avenue.[4] The Project Employment Programme did the landscaping. Then local service clubs built amenities,[1] while the council co-ordinated the work.[4]
Aotea Lagoon opened to the public in March 1980.[5] The 7 ha (17 acres) park,[6][4] originally leased from the Crown, was given to the council in 1994.[1] In 2021, the state highway alongside the lagoons was renumbered 59.[7]
Hydrology[edit]
The lagoon covers 5 ha (12 acres).[4] A culvert connects the lagoon to Porirua Harbour,[6][4] renamed Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour in 2014.[8] Gates at the lagoon end of the culvert, below the model windmill, regulate the tidal flow.[9] The windmill, presented to the city by Paremata Jaycee in 1981 according to its commemorative plaque, houses controls for the gates.[4]
Stormwater enters the lagoon in three places.[4] It also entered and was retained in a shallow duck pond,[6] to the north-east of the lagoon, which had persistently poor water quality.[4][6] In 2022–2023, the duck pond was filled in and an artificial stream was created across that area.[10] Poor water quality in the lagoon means contact recreation, including swimming, is prohibited.[11]
Amenities[edit]
Present[edit]
The park has three zones: lagoon, play and garden.[11] As of 2024,[update] the first zone has a 732 m (2,402 ft) path around the lagoon,[1] a Pétanque court and a bridge to an island. To the north-east, the play zone has adventure and toddlers's playgrounds,[12] the stream,[10] a pump track,[13] a splash pad,[14] and the Butterfly Walkway.[12] The garden zone, to the south-west, includes a rose garden developed by Porirua Rotary.[1] All three zones also have lawns.[12]
A rideable miniature train runs around the park on an 832 m (2,730 ft) track which includes a tunnel.[15] Built by Waitangirua Lions,[1] the railway operates Sunday afternoon, weather permitting, from a station south of the lagoon.[15]
Past development[edit]
The amenities at Aotea Lagoon have changed over the years. The park opened in 1980 with the island,[1] the miniature railway, the lawns and the rose garden.[5] As the centrepiece of the rose garden, the city's Rotarians commissioned a sculpture from artist Guy Ngan.[16] The work Untitled (1979) in steel was later moved to the garden zone lawn,[17] and a circular bed of roses was put in its place. The duck pond and its island also appear to be original, they can be seen in an aerial photograph of the park being shaped.[1]
In the mid 1980s, the adventure playground was added and rowing boats operated on the lagoon for the second half of that decade.[1] By the mid 1990s, a fernery had been added next to the rose garden, according to maps in the park's management plan. On either side of the garden zone entrance, the maps also showed a jetty into the lagoon and a pond in the lawn.[4] The 2000s saw no change to the amenities.[18] In the 2010s, the adventure playground was rebuilt then the splash pad was added.[1][14] The jetty, fernery and pond in the garden zone were removed in the second half of that decade, according to aerial photographs of the park.[19][20] As of 2024,[update] the 2020s have seen the duck pond replaced by the stream and the pump track.[10][13][21]
Visitor survey[edit]
In 2009, the council surveyed visitors to Aotea Lagoon. Most people came to the park to walk, for relaxation or exercise, and they lived nearby in Porirua or neighbouring Tawa. However, the playgrounds drew visitors from a wider area including Wellington and the Hutt Valley.[18]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Historic Site: Aotea Lagoon". Porirua Library. n.d. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "New Playing Fields or Acquatic [sic] Reserves?". Kapi-Mana News. Porirua. 6 November 1973.
- ^ "Government Lifts Contribution to Lagoon Development". Kapi-Mana News. Porirua. 26 August 1975.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Aotea Lagoon Management Plan (Report). Porirua City Council. December 1994. pp. 1, 3, 7, 24, 25, 83.
- ^ a b "Opening of Aotea Lagoon Next Week". Kapi-Mana News. Porirua. 11 March 1980. p. 3.
- ^ a b c d Williams, Katarina (18 January 2021). "Porirua's Aotea Lagoon: Home to the Pond Where Ducks Dare Not Dive". Stuff. New Zealand. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "The Country's Newest State Highway Number Is Here" (Press release). Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ "New Zealand Geographic Board Gazetteer: Porirua Harbour". Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Barton, Warren (27 September 1997). "Making a Good Impression". Weekend. The Dominion. Wellington. p. 17.
- ^ a b c "Aotea Lagoon Project Nears Finish Line" (Press release). Porirua City Council. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Aotea Lagoon Reserve". Porirua City Council. n.d. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "Aotea Lagoon". Porirua City Council. December 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Grab Your Wheels! New Pump Track Lands in Porirua" (Press release). Porirua City Council. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ a b Fallon, Virginia (14 December 2017). "Merry Christmas Porirua: $910,000 Splash Pad Set to Open for Summer Holidays". Stuff. New Zealand. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ a b "It's Full Steam Ahead for Aotea Lagoon's Miniature Train" (Press release). Porirua City Council. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Johnathan (11 March 1980). "Inside Column". Kapi-Mana News. Porirua. p. 3.
- ^ "Guy Ngan, Untitled [Aotea Lagoon] (1979)". Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ a b Jacobson, Christine (August 2009). Aotea Lagoon Visitor Monitoring 2009 (Report). Porirua City Council. p. 2. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Porirua 0.075m Urban Aerial Photos (2016): Aotea Lagoon". Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand. 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ "Porirua 0.10m Urban Aerial Photos (2020): Aotea Lagoon". Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand. 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ "Porirua 0.1m Urban Aerial Photos (2024): Aotea Lagoon". Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand. 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.