Lake Taupo - Awaroa Reserve

The full name of the lake is Taupō-nui-a-Tia, which means "the great cloak of Tia" in Maori. Tia is said to be the original discoverer of the lake. The 5 Mile Bay area is a very popular swimming and water skiing location. Sand stretches the entire bay, linking you to the Waitahanui River. The river mouth is known as the "Picket Fence" because of the anglers that stand shoulder to shoulder trying to catch trout as the the swim out of the lake.

WATER QUALITY

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on February 26th, 2018. Swim Guide NZ updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

For water quality icon legend, click:

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MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

Freshwater sites are tested for E.coli levels.

A beach has a GREEN current status when no single sample is greater than 260 E. coli/100 mL and has a rank of GREEN. A beach has a RED current status in Swim Guide when a single sample is greater than 260 E. coli/100 mL and there is an AMBER or RED rank. A beach is marked Grey in Swim Guide when there is no current or reliable monitoring information available.

Swimming is not recommended within 48 hours after a heavy rainfall or around storm water outfalls and at stream mouths.

For information on the historical water quality for sites in this region please visit the council’s website: http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Environment/Natural-resources/Water/Lakes/Lake-Taupo/How-clean-is-Lake-Taupo/Water-quality-monitoring-map/

Data in Swim Guide is sourced from LAWA’s “Can I Swim Here” program.
Visit LAWA’s factsheet on recreational monitoring in NZ here. https://www.lawa.org.nz/learn/factsheets/what-do-the-swim-icons-mean/
LAWA assigns each site a grade, which is based on the last three years of monitoring data from the site.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH