Lake Wakatipu
Lake Wakatipu is an inland lake (finger lake) in the South Island of New
Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of the Otago region, near its boundary
with Southland. Lake Wakatipu comes from the original Māori word Whakatipu
wai-māori.
With a length of 80 kilometres (50 mi), it is New Zealand's longest lake, and,
at 291 km2 (112 sq mi), its third largest. The lake is also very deep, its floor
being below sea level, with a maximum depth of 380 metres (1,250 ft). It is at
an altitude of 310 metres (1,020 ft), towards the southern end of the Southern
Alps.
The general topography is a reversed "N" shape or "dog leg". The Dart River
flows into the northern end, the lake then runs south for 30 kilometres before
turning abruptly to the east. Twenty kilometres (12.4 mi) further along, it
turns sharply to the south, reaching its southern end 30 kilometres (19 mi)
further south, near Kingston.
The lake is drained by the Kawarau River, which flows out from the lake's
Frankton Arm, 8 km (5.0 mi) east of Queenstown. Until about 18,000 years ago the
Mataura River drained Lake Wakatipu. The Kingston Flyer follows part of the
former river bed now blocked by glacial moraine.
Queenstown is on the northern shore of the lake close to eastern end of its
middle section. It has a seiche of period 26.7 minutes which, in Queenstown Bay,
causes the water level to rise and fall some 200 millimetres (7.9 in).
Lake Wakatipu is renowned for its scenic beauty, being surrounded by mountains.
The Remarkables mountain range lies along its southeastern edge. It is a popular
venue for adventure tourism, with skifields, paragliding, bungy jumping and
tramping tracks within easy reach. A vintage steamboat, the TSS Earnslaw
regularly plies its waters. Several vineyards are nearby in the Gibbston Valley.
Getting There
This tourist attraction is well serviced by public transport including taxis,
buses and shuttle.
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