Lake Wilkie Swamp

Description: A wetland on the coastal terrace behind Tautuku Beach and part of the lower Tautuku River Valley. 1

Type/Class: Swamp. 2

Size: 2.1 ha.

Altitude: 0 - 20 m above sea level.

Approximate location: 1 km Southwest of the intersection of Tautuku Beach Road and Chaslands Highway, Papatowai | NZTM (centre point): E1327180 N4835320.

Regional Plan: Water for Otago | Schedule 9 Regionally Significant Wetland, no.78, Map F32.

Territorial Authority: Clutha District Council.

Interactive map of Lake Wilkie Swamp

Recorded Values

Value Description
A4 High degree of wetland naturalness. 2
A5 Scarce in Otago in terms of its ecological or physical character. Scarce wetland type. Lake Wilkie possesses an important example of a hydrarch succession from Eleocharis at the lake margin to mature podocarp (Podocarpus sp.)-rata-kāmahi (Weinmannia racemosa) forest. Bog lakes are unusual on the east coast of the South Island. 1 Less than 15% of swamps and marshes remain in Otago. 2
A1 - A3, A6 - A9 No relevant information is currently held by the ORC.

Other Information

  • Lake Wilkie is listed as a Significant Wetland in the Clutha District Plan, where it is described as a lowland lake, flax swamp and podocarp (Podocarpus sp.) forest. 37
Aerial View of Lake Wilki Swamp (March 2006)
Lake Wilkie Swamp (December 2005) 94

References

1 Otago Regional Council (2004) Regional Plan: Water for Otago. Published by the Otago Regional Council, Dunedin.

2 Ausseil, A.G., Newsome, P., Johnson, P. (2008) Wetland Mapping in the Otago Region. Landcare Research Contract Report prepared for the Otago Regional Council.

37 Clutha District Council (1998) Clutha District Plan. Published by the Clutha District Council, Balclutha.

94 Department of Conservation – Photo Archive.