Lake Rotokauri LOTA Activation

It was a cracker spring day to get out and around so I figured I’d check out Lake Rotokauri. The lake is north west Hamilton, and has a couple of tracks that go along its shore. I wanted to make things a bit more interesting so I took along my radio kit. The lake was on my list of LOTA (Lakes on the Air) to activate ( the list can be found here ).

Entrance sign for Lake Rotokauri

Activation

Getting to the activation site is little trouble with a motor vehicle. The Lake has three parking spaces that I know of. I chose the parking space off Dromara Drive since it has a toilet (long drop). It is also closest to the field that I was going to set up my radio station.

My radio station about 2 minute walk from the entrance.

I was able to contact 15 others in the late morning. There were several guys up mountains in the Wellington region, and a couple closer to the Waikato. I was able to make out one operator from the Tauranga region. It was hard to make him out because my antenna was orientated more for north-south transmission.

Contacts

The lake shore was nearby. It has a sturdy bench and table for picnicing.

Thanks to the following callsigns who I was able to make contact with. You can see my On the Air log here . Now I can tick off another lake from my list.

  • ZL1HOG
  • ZL2XC
  • ZL1ALF
  • ZLKVA
  • ZL2ATH
  • ZL3RIK
  • ZL1JRW
  • ZL3CR
  • ZL1KB
  • ZL2VF
  • ZL3JD
  • ZL1DI
  • ZL1SGS
  • ZL2AJ
  • ZL1SWW
  • ZL1EW

Conclusion

Lake Rotokauri is an excellent place to activate. There is plenty of space to set up an antenna that is out of the way of other users of the lake. The facilities are reasonable, and it’s in a quiet space. In terms of ease of radio operations, I’d say it’s a step under the Hamilton Gardens.

Car Park at end of Dromara Drive