A long, zig-zag glacial lake beside Queenstown, ringed by jagged peaks.
Surface area
291 km²
Maximum depth
about 380 m
Elevation
310 m
Continent
Oceania
Countries
New Zealand
Did you know?
Wakatipu has an unusual 'tide' — its water rises and falls about 10 cm every half hour or so, a natural rhythmic seiche.
Little-known fact
Māori legend says its lightning-bolt shape is the sleeping form of a giant, whose heartbeat causes the water to rise and fall.
Highlights
- A zig-zag glacial lake
- Has its own gentle 'tide'
- Shaped like a sleeping giant
Life in the Lake Wakatipu
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Waterbirds
Mallard
The familiar green-headed dabbling duck — ancestor of most domestic ducks — found on waters worldwide.
Interactive · 3D dive
How deep does a lake go?
A lake is layered from the sunlit, weed-filled shallows down to a cold, dark bed. Tap a zone to dive the submersible through the water column — and meet the life that belongs at each depth.
Tip: hover the column to tilt it · tap a layer to dive
Littoral Zone
The warm, bright band close to shore where sunlight reaches the bottom. Reeds, water lilies and rooted plants grow thickly here, making it the busiest, most crowded part of the whole lake.
Who lives here