# The lakes and wetlands of Christchurch

Every named lake, lagoon, pond, wetland and spring the open map records inside the city, 9 lakes, 1 lagoon, 6 ponds, 8 wetlands and 1 spring, plus 854 more drawn without a name.

## The lakes

- [Albert Lake](https://www.chch.live/lake/albert-lake)
- [Brooklands Lagoon](https://www.chch.live/lake/brooklands-lagoon), also “Te Riu-o-Te-Aika-Kawa”
- [Ferrier Fountain](https://www.chch.live/lake/ferrier-fountain)
- [Horseshoe Lake](https://www.chch.live/lake/horseshoe-lake), also “Waikākāriki”
- [Kiosk Lake](https://www.chch.live/lake/kiosk-lake)
- [Lake Forsyth / Wairewa](https://www.chch.live/lake/lake-forsyth-wairewa), also “Wairewa”
- [Lake Rua](https://www.chch.live/lake/lake-rua), also “Rua”
- [Lake Tahi](https://www.chch.live/lake/lake-tahi), also “Tahi”
- [Victoria Lake](https://www.chch.live/lake/victoria-lake)

## The lagoons

- [Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora](https://www.chch.live/lake/lake-ellesmere-te-waihora), also “Te Waihora”

## The ponds

- [Barnes Reserve Pond](https://www.chch.live/lake/barnes-reserve-pond)
- [Creamery Pond](https://www.chch.live/lake/creamery-pond)
- [Dalgety Pond](https://www.chch.live/lake/dalgety-pond)
- [Makitaki Pond](https://www.chch.live/lake/makitaki-pond)
- [Mill pond](https://www.chch.live/lake/mill-pond)
- [Westlake Pond](https://www.chch.live/lake/westlake-pond)

## The wetlands

- [Bottle Lake](https://www.chch.live/lake/bottle-lake)
- [Cashmere Valley Lower Basin](https://www.chch.live/lake/cashmere-valley-lower-basin)
- [Cashmere Valley Upper Basin](https://www.chch.live/lake/cashmere-valley-upper-basin)
- [Cockayne Reserve](https://www.chch.live/lake/cockayne-reserve)
- [McCormacks Bay](https://www.chch.live/lake/mccormacks-bay)
- [Naughty Boys Island](https://www.chch.live/lake/naughty-boys-island)
- [Ōtukaikino Wetland](https://www.chch.live/lake/otukaikino-wetland)
- [Platinum Drainage Reserve](https://www.chch.live/lake/platinum-drainage-reserve)

## The springs

- [Redwood Dancing Springs](https://www.chch.live/lake/redwood-dancing-springs)

## The reservoirs

- [Huntsbury Reservoir](https://www.chch.live/lake/huntsbury-reservoir)
- [Matuku Lakes](https://www.chch.live/lake/matuku-lakes), also “Matuku”
- [Wildlife Refuge](https://www.chch.live/lake/wildlife-refuge)


## Questions, answered briefly

**How many named lakes does Christchurch have?**

9 lakes, 1 lagoon, 8 wetlands and 1 spring on the open map, plus 854 more drawn without a name, Te Waihora’s broad shallows, Horseshoe Lake’s oxbow, and the wetlands the stormwater network learned to work with.

**Why do the big ones carry two names?**

The dual names are the map’s own, the Māori name and the later English one recorded together. Lake Ellesmere is Te Waihora, Lake Forsyth is Wairewa, each page lists every name the map knows.

**Are the rivers on this page?**

No, the rivers and streams keep their own roll at [/river](https://www.chch.live/river), and live levels are instruments at [/rivers](https://www.chch.live/rivers). This roll is the still water: lakes, lagoons, wetlands and springs.

**Where does the water map come from?**

OpenStreetMap, every named lake, lagoon, wetland and spring inside the city boundary (ODbL). A pin is the mapper’s position for the feature, not a surveyed mark.


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Named lakes, lagoons, wetlands and springs on OpenStreetMap, inside the city boundary (ODbL). A pin is the mapper’s position for the feature, not a surveyed mark; the dual names are the map’s own.
The roll as data: https://www.chch.live/lakes.geojson
The waterways: https://www.chch.live/river
The coast: https://www.chch.live/coast