Lake Wakatipu
| Lake Wakatipu | |
|---|---|
 Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables |
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| Location | Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago Region, South Island |
| Coordinates | 45°3′S 168°30′E / 45.050°S 168.500°ECoordinates: 45°3′S 168°30′E / 45.050°S 168.500°E |
| Primary inflows | Dart River |
| Primary outflows | Kawarau River |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 80 km (50 mi) |
| Surface area | 291 km2 (112 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 230 metres (750 ft) |
| Max. depth | 420 metres (1,380 ft) |
| 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 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.[1]
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 as low as 100 metres (330 ft) below sea level, giving it a depth of between 378 metres (1,240 ft)[2] and 420 metres (1,380 ft) making it New Zealand's third or fourth deepest lake and ranked 32nd[3] deepest in the world, putting it just behind Lake Hauroko 462 metres (1,516 ft), Manapouri 444 metres (1,457 ft), and possibly Te Anau 418 metres (1,371 ft) and Hawea 392 metres (1,286 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 .[4] 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.
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Etymology [edit]
The original form and meaning of the name are not known for certain. The name is believed to originate from the Waitaha people, who were later displaced by Kāti Mamoe. Taken literally, Wakatipu would mean "growing canoe" or possibly "growing bay" if the original was Whakatipu and the h elided as a result of the Southern Māori dialect.[5] The dialect is also known for dropping final vowels, and Wakatipua or Whakatipua (Canoe/Bay of spirits) have also 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. Waka can also mean 'hollow'.[5]
Wildlife [edit]
Lake Wakatipu is a habitat for the longfin eel (a specimen caught in 1886 is the largest known of this species[6]), brown trout, salmon and rainbow trout.[7] These and other fish support predators such as the pied shag. The Black-billed Gull is also found around the lake.
In popular culture [edit]
Lake Wakatipu doubled as the famous Scottish Loch Ness in the 2007 film The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep. Lake Wakatipu has many geographical similarities to 'Loch Ness' and was chosen as one of the main filming locations in the movie.[8]
It is a backdrop for several scenes in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, including Amon Hen.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Māori name for Lake".
- ^ The Easy to See 2005 Calendar. New Zealand: Kingsgrove Calendars. 2005. p. 4. ISBN 0-9-625-0469 Check
|isbn=value (help). - ^ "List of lakes by depth". eNotes. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ Turnbull, I M (2000), Geology of the southeastern Eyre Mountains relevant to tenure review, Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Conservation, ISSN 1171-9834
- ^ a b H. Beattie (1920). "Art. XII.—The Southern Maori, and Greenstone: Addenda". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961, Volume 52. pp. 51–52.
- ^ Fishing World Records
- ^ Lake Wakatipu Fishing
- ^ Miller, Gerri. "Inside 'The Water Horse'". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
External links [edit]
- Queenstown/Wakatipu at the Department of Conservation
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