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Hokowhitu Lagoon, also sometimes called Centennial Lagoon, is a natural oxbow lake in the city of Palmerston North, New Zealand. Hokowhitu was created from a meander of the Manawatu River. Many features surround the lagoon including a walkway, Caccia Birch House, and a former campus of a Massey University — the facilities of which are now used by the New Zealand Defence Force, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and the Abbey Theatre Company. The lagoon also gives its name to the surrounding suburb, Hokowhitu.
| Hokowhitu Lagoon | |
|---|---|
| Centennial Lagoon | |
 Hokowhitu Lagoon | |
  Hokowhitu Lagoon Location of Hokowhitu Lagoon within the North Island | |
| Coordinates | 40°22′2.42″S 175°37′44.22″E |
| Type | Oxbow lake |
| Primary inflows | Artesian Bore |
| Primary outflows | Earthquake-produced drainage from unknown source |
| Catchment area | 2.7 km2 (1.0 sq mi) |
| Max. length | ~1.06 km (0.66 mi)[citation needed] |
| Max. width | ~70 m (230 ft)[citation needed] |
| Average depth | 2.2 m (7.2 ft) (as of 2009)[1] |
| Settlements | Palmerston North |
An artesian bore, which was completed in 2009, is drilled 94 metres (308 ft) into an underground aquifer which supplies the lagoon with 250,000 litres of water daily.[2]
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Hokowhitu Lagoon is home to many water-life and birds. Perch is the most common fish in the lagoon, with 44 fish per 100m2.[1]
A 1.1 kilometres (0.68 mi) walk follows the shore of the lagoon and is popular with local leisure seekers.[3] The walk includes a truss bridge which crosses the lagoon at roughly its halfway mark.
The Caccia Birch House, a Category I Historic location, sits on the northern side of the lagoon. The house was built in 1892 and was donated to the government in 1941.
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During 2014 the lagoon's water levels dropped as the 2014 Eketāhuna earthquake opened up channels in the underside of the lake.[4] The leaking continued and in December 2014 environmentally-safe dye was put into the water to help locate leaks.[5] The Artesian Bore, which was built in 2009,[2] cannot compete with the heavy leaking.
During mid-2016 a dive team was sent to investigate the lagoon bed to locate a source of the leaking.[6]
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