FEARS are held for the future of a unique Wairarapa tourist attraction that could be lost to slips and erosion. Masterton Deputy Mayor Garry Daniell said the Hidden Lakes at Kopuaranga, created as a result of the massive 1855 earthquake, need to be included in a specific river protection scheme orrisk being gradually undermined. Mr Daniell said creeping erosion, accelerated by last winter's relentless wet weather and huge floods, was gnawing away at the land separating the lakes and the nearby Ruamahanga River that "over time" could spell doom to the lakes. The solution may mean devising a method of saving the lakes in conjunction with an overall scheme to protect the Upper Ruamahanga River, under the auspices of Wellington Regional Council. Massive scouring of the riverbank and signs of multiple slips further back towards the lakes can be seen from State Highway 2 from a rest area in the vicinity of Mt Bruce Hall. The Hidden Lakes, 9km north of Masterton, were formed when a gigantic earthquake struck on February 23, 1855. A huge landslide engulfed a Maori pa situated on the faultline, killing most of the inhabitants. The ground opened up creating a crater that rapidly filled with water and that was to become the Hidden Lakes. Over time the lakes have become one of Wairarapa's most treasured tourist attractions and a home to thousands of birds, especially tuis when dozens of kowhais are in flower. They nevertheless remain one of the district's most underrated attractions, probably because those wanting to visit the lakes need to be reasonably fit to be able to walk into them from the end of track access. The regional council's lands and rivers operations manager, Ian Gunn, said there was erosion at the bottom end of the lakes area near the river. "That is a concern to us but therehas been no recent, major erosion detected on the face." Mr Gunn said the regional council has put in a series of survey pegs to monitor erosion on the face over a three-year period. No movement has been detected in that time. He said another survey is planned as the time to do it was after a prolonged wet period ? such as last winter ? or after a series of earthquakes.
