Otautu is one of two access points on Lake Rotoehu. The area is used for swimming, fishing and boating and has a small public boat ramp.

Otautu was chosen as a trial site for a Parklink remedial treatment program because it is shallow, easily accessible and enclosed. The lake often has blue green algae / Cyano-bacteria blooms due to the excessive nutrients leached into the lake. The treatment was successful and showed that removing hornwort (an invasive plant) and creating a "floating wetland" helped to reduce algae blooms. Canvases are turned into buoyant mats, covered in native wetland species. The roots of the plants provide the growth of beneficial micro-organisms that enhance nitrogen removal. They also inhibit algae growth through providing shade and reducing wave erosion of lake banks. Conservationists were consulted to ensure that environmental harm would not result from the creation of the wetlands before they were made. It turns out that the wetland provides additional habitat for fish and birds.

Lake Rotoehu one of the smallest in the Okataina caldera measuring 795 hectares, and is quite shallow reaching a maximum depth of 13.5 meters. Rotoehu is M?ori for "murky water", likely due to the geothermal inputs and shallow lake bed.

The description above was copied from or heavily based on Swim Guide, with permission.

More Information

• Swim Guide - Weather and water quality for Lake Rotoehu at Otautu Bay and 8,000 other beaches.