Lake Wakatipu
| Lake Wakatipu | |
|---|---|
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| NASA false-colour satellite image | |
| Location | Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago Region, South Island |
| Coordinates | 45°3′S 168°30′E / 45.05°S 168.5°ECoordinates: 45°3′S 168°30′E / 45.05°S 168.5°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 Otago Region, near its boundary with Southland.
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)[1] and 420 metres (1,380 ft) making it New Zealand's third or forth deepest lake and ranked 32nd[2] deepest in the world, putting it just behind Lake Hauroko-462m, Manapouri-444m, and possibly Te Anau-418m and Hawea-392m. 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. 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).[3]
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.
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[edit] Etymology
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.[4] 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'.[4]
[edit] Life
Lake Wakatipu is a habitat for the longfin eel (a specimen caught in 1886 is the largest known of this species[5]), brown trout, salmon and rainbow trout.[6] These and other fish support predators such as the pied shag. The Black-billed Gull is also found at the lake.
[edit] In popular culture
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.[7]
It was the filming location for the Lothlórien sequences in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Ben Campbell-MacDonald was the first person to swim the length of the lake In February 2012. [8]
[edit] See also
[edit] Gallery
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Northern end
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Near Walter Peak
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Lake Wakatipu
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Lake Wakatipu & Remarkable Mountains in Queenstown, New Zealand
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View from Queenstown heights
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The TSS Earnslaw on Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown
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1898 New Zealand stamp with the name mis-spelled as Lake Wakitipu. This was corrected in later printings.
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Northern end
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[edit] References
- ^ The Easy to See 2005 Calandar. New Zealand: Kingsgrove Calendars. 2005. pp. 4. ISBN 0-9-625-0469.
- ^ "List of lakes by depth". eNotes. http://www.enotes.com/topic/List_of_lakes_by_depth. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ Google Answers:Why does Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand rise and fall?
- ^ 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. http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_52/rsnz_52_00_000700.html.
- ^ Anguilla dieffenbachii at fishing-worldrecords.com
- ^ Lake Wakatipu Fishing
- ^ Miller, Gerri. "Inside 'The Water Horse'". HowStuffWorks, Inc.. http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/water-horse3.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6373427/Swimmer-conquers-81km-Lake-Wakatipu-challenge.
[edit] External links
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