Lake Wanaka
| Lake Wanaka | ||
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| Geographical location | Queenstown-Lakes District , Otago , New Zealand | |
| Tributaries | Matukituki River , Makarora River | |
| Drain | Clutha River | |
| Places on the shore | Wanaka , Albert Town | |
| Location close to the shore | Dunedin , Queenstown | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 44 ° 30 ′ S , 169 ° 8 ′ E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 280 m | |
| surface | 192 km² | |
| Maximum depth | approx. 300 m | |
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particularities |
fourth largest lake in New Zealand (after Lake Taupo , Lake Te Anau and Lake Wakatipu ) |
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The Lake Wanaka is the fourth largest lake in New Zealand and is located in the west of the region Otago on the South Island of the country. The Maori designation Wanaka probably derives from the term Oanaka on what means something like "place of Anaka".
With an area of 192 km², the lake in the continental area of the South Island is the fourth largest lake in New Zealand and the third largest in the South Island. It reaches its greatest extent in a north-south direction with around 42 kilometers. At its widest point - at the southern end - the lake measures 10 kilometers. The west coast of the lake is extremely mountainous, here the adjacent mountains reach a height of over 2000 meters, while the mountains and hills on the east coast are much lower. The lake itself is at an altitude of 280 meters above sea level. NN, while in places it reaches a depth of more than 300 meters. Thus, parts of the water mass are below sea level .
Lake Wanaka is embedded in a trough valley that was formed during the last ice age. Its tributaries are the Matukituki River and the Makarora River . The outflow is the Clutha River , the second longest river in the country, which connects to the lake in the south.
In the southern end of the lake there are also several islands, of which Rabbit Island and Harwich Island are the most famous. Furthermore, the two largest localities on the shore of the lake, Wanaka and Albert Town , are in this area.
A few kilometers east of the lake is Lake Hāwea , which lies in a parallel valley formed by glaciers. At their narrowest point, the two lakes, separated by a ridge, are no more than 1000 meters apart.
The lake is a popular holiday destination, which is ideal for fishing , boating and swimming in the summer . The nearby fast flowing rivers allow various kinds of extreme sports , for example jet boating . In winter you can go skiing nearby. The two lakes are located entirely within the Mount Aspiring National Park , which is part of the Te Wahipounamu - World Heritage Site .
