| Lake Wakatipu | |
|---|---|
| Whakatipu Waimāori | |
| Whakatipu Waimāori (Māori) | |
 Lake Wakatipu andThe 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′S168°30′E / 45.050°S 168.500°E /-45.050; 168.500 |
| 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 inlandlake (finger lake) in theSouth Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of theOtago region, near its boundary withSouthland.Lake Wakatipu comes from the originalMāori nameWhakatipu 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), itsthird 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 theSouthern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. The general topography is a reversed "N" shape or "dog leg". TheDart 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 miles) further along, it turns sharply to the south, reaching its southern end 30 kilometres (19 mi) further south, nearKingston. At the north end of the lake is the settlement ofGlenorchy, in the north-east corner, and the smaller isolated locality ofKinloch in the north-west corner.
The lake is drained by theKawarau River, which flows out from the lake's only arm, the Frankton Arm, 8 km (5.0 mi) east ofQueenstown. Until about 18,000 years ago theMataura River drained Lake Wakatipu. TheKingston 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 aseiche 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 theTapuae-o-Uenuku / Hector Mountains, lie along its southeastern edge. It is a common venue foradventure tourism, withskifields,paragliding,bungy jumping andtramping tracks within easy reach. A vintage steamboat, theTSSEarnslaw regularly plies its waters. Severalvineyards are nearby inGibbston.
The full original name of the lake isWhakatipu-wai-Māori.[4] While the lake lacks an official name,[5] it is generally referred to as "Lake Wakatipu".[4]
The name is believed to originate from theWaitaha people, who were later displaced byKāti Māmoe. Elders from the modern iwiNgāi Tahu say that while the name Whakatipu is archaic and its original meaning is a mystery,whaka means causative andtipu means growth.[4] Wakatipu could mean "growing bay" if the original was Whakatipu and the h elided as a result of theSouthern Māori dialect.[6] The dialect is also known for dropping final vowels.Waka can also mean 'hollow'.[6] Wakatipua or Whakatipua (Canoe/Bay of spirits) have been recorded historically, as has Wakatapu (sacred vessel).
A legend says that the lake bed was formed when a giant ogre, Kopu-wai, was burned while lying asleep, leaving only his heart behind, which according to the same legend is the cause of the rhythmic rise and fall of the lake'sseiche. A variation on that is that Wakatipu is a contraction of Waka (trough) and tipua (enchanted giant), the giant was burnt when the surrounding bush was lit and his breathing causes the seiche. Another possibility, if the name was Whakatipu (make grow), is that a defeated group regrew their strength here.[7]
Whakatipu is also the name of another six unrelated geographical features in the South Island, includingTarahaka Whakatipu, the Harris Saddle at the head of theRouteburn Track;Te Awa Whakatipu, the mainDart River / Te Awa Whakatipu flowing into the lake;Whakatipu Kā Tuka, theHollyford River and Valley; andWhakatipu Kohurangi, Māori Bay inPelorus Sound / Te Hoiere, Marlborough.[8]
Lake Wakatipu has experienced periodic flooding[9] affecting the lakeside communities of Kingston,Glenorchy and Queenstown. Notable flooding events include the 1878 Queenstown floods, which affected a large part of the outlying Queenstown and Otago areas, the 1995 Queenstown floods, and most notably the 1999 Queenstown floods, which significantly damaged the QueenstownCBD and road infrastructure resulting in approximately $50 million worth of damage.[10][11][12]
Lake Wakatipu is a habitat for thelongfin eel (a specimen caught in 1886 is the largest known of this species[13]), and for introducedbrown trout,salmon andrainbow trout.[14] These and other fish support predators such as thepied shag. Theblack-billed gull is often found around the lake while the most common birds are theblack-billed gull and the introducedmallard. A smaller bird often not noticed because of its size is theNew Zealand scaup.
.jpg)
Lake Wakatipu doubled as the ScottishLoch Ness in the 2007 filmThe Water Horse: Legend of the Deep.[15]
The lake was a backdrop for several scenes inThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, includingAmon Hen.
Lake Wakatipu is the eponymous lake in the murder mystery television seriesTop of the Lake (2013).[16]
The first person to swim the length of the lake was Ben Campbell-Macdonald in 2012. The 81 km solo wetsuit swim from Kingston on the lake's southern point to Glenorchy took 18.5 hours.[17][18]
