Lake Tikitapu has a small catchment and its predominant land cover is indigenous vegetation. It is slightly north of Lake Rotokakahi and is higher, at 418 m above sea level. Tikitapu was formed by a lava dam 13,300 years ago. The lake has a flat bed with a maximum depth of 27.5 m and is fed by rainwater and small surface flows. It has no surface outlet, but is thought to leak groundwater to Lake Tarawera via Lake Rotokakahi. Tikitapu has low productivity with low nutrient inputs, due to its relatively small catchment and rainfall-dominated water source (source www.lawa.co.nz).
