On the lake margins at Te Roto o Wairewa

Often overshadowed by it's larger neighbour, Lake Ellesmere, Lake Forsyth is another important lake in the natural history of Banks Peninsula.

Like Ellesmere, it's another shallow lake which is very susceptible to changes in the local ecosystem. Deforestation over the last 150 years has led to silting up of the lake, which has contributed to the lake turning eutrophic and susceptible to algal blooms. So whilst it may look picturesque, it's not as thriving as it should be.

Wairewa used to be an important for providing tuna (the maori word for eels) as food for the Ngai Tahu tribe. It is the only Ngai Tahu customary lake, with Wairewa runanga (one of the 18 Ngai Tahu runanga or sub tribes) the guardians or kaitiaki of the lake.

The lake outflows to the sea at Birdling's Flat, at the opposite end of the Kaitorete spit to Lake Ellesmere. Like that lake, the Wairewa's levels are subject to manual opening of the lake or strong southerlies hitting the coastline.