to the south of remuera road lies waiatarua reserve. this is a natural basin, prone to seasonal flooding. on several 19th century maps this was shown as a lake and referred to as 'lake remuera', 'lake st john' or 'lake waiatarua' although in reality it was largely an area of swampy ground in which a sheet of shallow water would appear sporadically in the wet season. in 1918, of this land was given to the city council to create waiatarua reserve. as the surrounding farm land was transformed into suburban housing this area became problematic - although in theory the "lake" afforded a picturesque view for the new houses but as it wasn't constantly present it couldn't really be used as a selling feature like lake pupuke on the north shore. conversely it was a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a source of smells as the basin was composed of a peat-like substance subject to smouldering fires which were difficult to put out. in 1929, a drain was bored through the hill to the south west enabling the water to be drained into the adjacent natural stream which feeds into the nearby orakei basin; this drainage system is still in place.