Kahuterawa Stream at Sledge Track

Lake Wiritoa is a deep coastal dune lake located within the Whanganui River catchment and is popular for water skiing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming and fishing. This lake is monitored by Horizons Regional Council for public contact recreation on a weekly basis from 1 November through to 30 April for the presence of bacteria (measured as E. coli) and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).

This popular swim spot is found nestled in the foothills of the Tararua Ranges about 15 minutes drive from Palmerston North. Head south on State Highway 57, turn onto Old West Road and then Kahuterawa Road to get there. The swimming hole is at the end of the road and short walk up the Sledge Track. There is a toilet and picnic tables on site, so pack a picnic and walking shoes, and make a day of enjoying the beautiful surrounding environment.

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Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on April 23th, 2023. The Swim Guide - New Zealand updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on April 23th, 2023 at 5:52 PM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Marlborough Regional Council monitors water quality at popular swimming spots throughout the Malborough region.

Water quality data on Swim Guide is sourced from the LAWA Can I Swim Here? website. www.lawa.org.nz/swim

At this site, water is regularly tested for levels of E. coli during the summer months. This faecal indicator bacteria is used to indicate the level of harmful pathogens in the water.

See information on recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand in the LAWA factsheet: https://www.lawa.org.nz/learn/factsheets/coastal-and-freshwater-recreation-monitoring/

Beach sites are shown as a GREEN swim icon if the latest E. coli test result was in the range of 0 - 550 E. coli / 100 mL.

Beach sites are shown as a RED swim icon if the latest test result exceeded 550 E. coli / 100 mL or if this site frequently exceeds the standard or there is a temporary water quality issue outside the routine testing programme (e.g. sewage overflow).

See information on the standards for recreational water quality monitoring in New Zealand in the 'What do the swim icons mean?' LAWA factsheet.

LAWA recommends for all sites, to avoid swimming for 2 - 3 days after significant rain, even for sites that normally have good water quality.

A good rule of thumb is to check that you can see your toes in knee deep water.

See www.lawa.org.nz/swim for up to date information on current warnings and alerts, weather conditions, real-time water temperature and flow rates, and what facilities are available, the monitoring history at this site and helpful factsheets.

Water Quality Graph