Lake Wakatipu
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Lake Wakatipu |
Lake Wakatipu is an inland lake (finger lake) in the
South Island of
New Zealand. It is at , in the southwest corner of
Otago, near its boundary with
Southland.
With a length of 80 kilometres, it is the South Island's longest lake, and, at 291 km², the third largest lake in New Zealand. It is at an altitude of 310 metres, towards the southern end of the
Southern Alps. The general topography is a reversed "N" shape. The
Dart River flows into the northern end, which then runs south for 30 kilometres before turning abruptly to the east. Twenty kilometres further along, it turns sharply to the south, reaching its southern end 30 kilometres further south, near
Kingston.
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NASA false-colour satellite image of Lake Wakatipu |
It is drained by the
Kawarau River, which flows out near
Queenstown, lying on the northern shore of the lake close to eastern end of its middle section. It is very deep, its floor being up to 100 metres below sea level. It "breathes", its waters rising and falling regularly by some 200 millimetres in Queenstown Bay, in what is known as a
seiche.
It is renowned for its scenic beauty, with
The Remarkables mountain range lying along its southeastern edge, although a recent boom in population and tourism around Queenstown threatens this golden goose. It is a popular venue for
adventure tourism, with
skifields,
paragliding,
bungy jumping and
tramping tracks within easy reach, and a vintage steamboat, the
T.S.S. Earnslaw regularly plying its waters. Several
vineyards are nearby.
Image:wakatipu2.jpg|Northern endImage:wakatipu.jpg|Near Walter PeakImage:wakatipu3.jpg|Lake WakatipuImage:Lake Whakatipu from Queenstown.jpg|View from Queenstown heights*
Lake Wakatipu*
Google Answers:Why does Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand rise and fall?
