It took 10 days of hard work, 700 metres of chain and rope, and an old sewing machine, but Lake Rotoma has a new weed cordon just in time for summer.
Geoff and Van Ewert, a father and son duo, were employed by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to carry out the work after a storm damaged the old cordon.
"It was just a high priority job and they asked if we could get it done. It's either that or man the boat ramp here 12 hours a day, seven days a week," Geoff says.
In 2008, Lake Rotoma was the first lake in the Bay of Plenty region to have a weed cordon installed which has since been replicated across the region.
But with summer boaties ready to hit the cleanest lake in Rotorua, work needed to be carried out quickly.
Andy Wills, a biosecurity officer for the council, says despite having the new cordon in place, it's up to boaties to help stop the spread of invasive species.
"We're just trying to promote stopping the spread, so you can do that by looking out and make sure your boat and the trailer is totally clean before putting it in the water," he says.
Trailers with carpet, boats with jet intakes and anchor wells can also spread weeds.
Mr Wills says nornwort is the "most aggressive" and it's "got really high growth rates".
Boat owners are being encouraged to check, clean and dry their vessels before entering the water.
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