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Waituna
Type of freshwater coastal lagoon in New Zealand / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A waituna is a freshwater coastal lagoon on a mixed sand and gravel (MSG) beach, formed where a braided river meets a coastline affected by longshore drift.[1][2] This type of waterbody is neither a true lake, lagoon nor estuary.[2]
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This classification differentiates it from hapua, a type of river mouth lagoon. Both waituna and hapua are rare globally but common in New Zealand, where they are considered ecologically significant as sites of traditional Māori food-gathering as well as for their diversity of fish and bird species.[3]
Waituna form an interlinked chain of habitats which run the length of the east coast of the South Island: from Wairua Lagoon and Lake Grassmere / Kapara Te Hau in Marlborough, through Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora and Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai in central Canterbury, and Washdyke Lagoon and Wainono Lagoon in South Canterbury, to Waituna Lagoon in Southland.[1] Waituna Lagoon is one of the finest examples.[4][5]
The name translates as “water of eels”.