November 13, 2023
Bleach bath for boats before lake access
Ngāti Tarāwhai has agreed to gradually reopen Lake Ōkataina to the public now the Ministry of Primary Industries has established biosecurity measures for the Te Arawa lakes against the Asian golden clam.
The isolated lake reopened for boat traffic on Sunday after a six week rahui driven by concerns the invasive species could be carried on boats or fishing gear carried from the Waikato River.
The ministry has set up a site at Rotorua for boats to be deep cleaned before launching in any of the lakes.
Iwi trust chair Cyrus Hingston says it’s also considering a temporary wash station at the start of the road to Ōkataina.
“You have to wash the hull of the boat, the ropes, the insides of the boats, the trailers themselves, everything has to be washed, washed with a bleach solution. So it’s about 10 to 20 percent bleach solution,” he says.
Mr Hingston says the new measures include a curfew, because Ngati Tarawhai doesn’t have the resources for 24/7 monitoring.