| Lake Wakatipu | |
|---|---|
| Whakatipu Waimāori | |
| Whakatipu Waimāori (Māori) | |
 Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables | |
 | |
.png)  Lake Wakatipu Lake Wakatipu is in the Otago Region of the South Island. | |
| Location | Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago Region, South Island |
| Coordinates | 45°3′S 168°30′E / 45.050°S 168.500°E |
| Lake type | Glacial lake |
| Primary inflows | Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu, Rees River |
| Primary outflows | Kawarau River |
| Catchment area | 2,674 km2 (1,032 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 75.2 km (46.7 mi) |
| Max. width | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Surface area | 289 km2 (112 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 130 metres (430 ft) |
| Max. depth | 420 metres (1,380 ft) |
| Water volume | 37.57 cubic kilometres (9.01 cu mi) |
| Residence time | c. 12 years |
| Surface elevation | 310 m (1,020 ft) |
| Islands | Pig Island, Pigeon Island, Tree Island & Hidden Island. |
| Settlements | Kingston, Queenstown, Glenorchy |
Lake Wakatipu (Māori: Whakatipu Waimāori) 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 name Whakatipu wai-māori.[1]
With a length of 80 kilometres (50 mi), it is New Zealand's longest lake, and, at 289 km2 (112 sq mi), its third largest. The lake is also very deep, its floor being below sea level (−110 metres), with a maximum depth of 420 metres (1,380 ft). It is at an altitude of 310 metres (1,020 ft), towards the southern end of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. The general topography is a reversed "N" shape or "dog leg". The Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu 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. At the north end of the lake is the settlement of Glenorchy, in the north-east corner, and the smaller isolated locality of Kinloch in the north-west corner.
The lake is drained by the Kawarau River, which flows out from the lake's only arm, the 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.[2] Queenstown is on the northern shore of the lake close to the eastern end of its middle section. It has a seiche period of 26.7 minutes which, in Queenstown Bay, causes the water level to rise and fall some 200 millimetres (8 in).[3]
Lake Wakatipu is known for its scenery and is surrounded by mountains. Two mountain ranges, the Remarkables and the Tapuae-o-Uenuku / Hector Mountains, lie along its southeastern edge. It is a common 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 Gibbston.
- ^ "Māori name for Lake". Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ Turnbull, I M (2000), Geology of the southeastern Eyre Mountains relevant to tenure review (PDF), Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Conservation, ISSN 1171-9834
- ^ "Lake Wakatipu at Willow Place". www.orc.govt.nz. Retrieved 31 May 2019.