Lake Whangape
| Lake Whangape | |
|---|---|
Lake Whangape is in the Waikato region of the North Island. | |
| Location | Waikato District, Waikato region, North Island |
| Coordinates | 37°28′S 175°03′E / 37.467°S 175.050°E |
| Lake type | riverine lake |
| Primary inflows | Awaroa Stream (NB a different stream, with the same name, further south, flows into Lake Waahi) |
| Primary outflows | Whangape Stream |
| Catchment area | 310 km2 (120 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
| Surface area | 1,450 ha (3,600 acres) |
| Average depth | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) |
| Max. depth | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Shore length1 | 29 km (18 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Islands | Motukauere Is, Roaroa Is |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
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Lake Whangape (also written as Wangape, Whangapu, or Whangapae) is shallow, supertrophic, lateral and the second largest lake (after Lake Waikare) in the lower Waikato River basin in New Zealand. One source said the name translated to 'a large sheet of water', another that it was a chief's name.
From the 1860s the catchment has lost most of its forest cover and the lake has changed from clear and rich in aquatic vegetation to a murky, algal lake.