Lake Pauri is a coastal dune lake and has a maximum depth of around 14m. The lake is usually safe for contact recreation in regards to E. coli, although due to elevated nutrient levels it can be susceptible to cyanbacterial blooms. Water quality has declined over the past decade due to pastoral farming releasing sediment and nutrients into the lake. The lake is classed as Eutrophic (www.lawa.org.nz).