Recreation information has moved to the "Can I Swim Here?" section of LAWA
The Tauherenikau River flows from the Tararua Forest Park and bypasses the town of Featherston before discharging into the northern end of Lake Wairarapa. This site is located at the end of Buck's road, with plenty of parking. A short walk down to the river opens on to multiple swimming spots and is popular during the summer months.
This site is monitored as a part of Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Recreational Water Quality Programme, which is specifically designed to inform the public about the suitability of various sites across the region for swimming and other recreational activities.
The safety of water for swimming is determined by measuring ‘faecal indicator bacteria’ (E. coli) which indicates the likely levels of pathogens in the water. Monitoring is conducted on a weekly basis over the summer months (December to March).
It is generally safe to swim at this site during dry weather. However we advise people not to swim for at least two days after heavy rain.
For the latest water quality information, please go to the GWRC website, or check out the latest recreational water quality reports.
Some sites have telemetry monitoring systems in place that can provide up to the minute data. At this site the following live data measurements are available. Click on the data type for more information.