Whairepo Lagoon

{{Short description|Lagoon in Wellington}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2024}}

File:Wellington lagoon.png, circled by Frank Kitts Park, The Boatshed, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the New Zealand Exchange before the construction of Te Raukura.]]

Whairepo Lagoon is an open public area at the centre of Wellington, New Zealand. It is a small man-made lagoon filled with sea water and connected to Wellington Harbour through a narrow channel. A split-level footbridge over the mouth of the lagoon was designed by Eastbridge.{{Cite news|date=3 Oct 2020|title=Hawke's Bay Base of Kiwi Bridge-builder For Sale|page=D2|work=New Zealand Herald|via=Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream}} The lagoon is surrounded by The Boat Shed, City-to-Sea bridge, and the Wellington Rowing, Star Boating Club, and Te Raukura buildings. Tanya Ashken's Albatross fountain sits on the north side of the lagoon between it and Frank Kitts Park.

On 17 December 2015 the lagoon was officially named Whairepo Lagoon, as it previously had no official name. The lagoon was previously referred to as Frank Kitts Lagoon, Frank Kitts Park Lagoon or simply The Lagoon. 'Whairepo' is the Māori name for the Eagle ray which can sometimes be seen in the lagoon.{{Cite web|date=17 Dec 2015|title=Wellington Lagoon Gets a New Name|url=https://www.linz.govt.nz/news/2015-12/wellington-lagoon-gets-new-name}}

From December 2023 to April 2024 a statue of Marvel's Mjölnir, the hammer of Thor, was placed next to the lagoon for a Marvel exhibition.{{Cite web |title=Marvel: Earth's Mightiest Exhibition in Wellington - WellingtonNZ |url=https://www.wellingtonnz.com/visit/events/marvel-earths-mightiest-exhibition |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition in Wellington - WellingtonNZ |language=en-NZ}}