Jimmy Allingham

But potentially, I mean, could it have been a natural event due to low rainfall?

Horizons Regional Council officials have said that other waterways

near that coastline are a bit lower than what they normally are.

But some representatives of local iwi I spoke to seem to think it potentially could be something to do with the changing land use around the lake.

There's now farmland and forestry there.

There were some drains.

coming out of it as well.

Confusing as well is I found online an old report completed for the Department of Conservation about 10 years ago, and that was just looking at the levels of waterways in the region.

And that actually made note of the fact that in the report, author's words, Pukipuki Lagoon,

does dry out once every decade or so.

But it wasn't completely clear what caused that or if it completely dried out as at this time or he was just referring to perhaps lower water levels.

So it remains a mystery as to what has caused it this time and people are looking into it and we should know soon.

Completely a taonga.

And this time of year too, or at least when it was discovered towards the beginning of April, it's a special time for eels too because traditionally they go off to the Pacific Ocean and spawn.

And many of these eels, we have to remember that they live decades.

I think longfin eels can live up to 100 years.

And their average lifespan is something like 30 to 50 years.

It's a bit less for short, thin eels.

But locally, we have been out in force.

So there's Mahapu or Himatangi is the nearest hapu to this.