Heartbeat of a Giant - Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown

According to Maori legend, Lake Wakatipu is the “Hollow of the Giant” (Whakatipua). There was an evil giant in the land and one day while he was asleep, a brave Maori youth set him on fire and killed him. The fire melted the surrounding snow on the mountains to form the water in the lake.

Well, Lake Wakatipu is a giant! With a length of 84 km, it is New Zealand’s longest lake and its 3rd largest lake with an area of 291 km². It has an unsual “Z”-shaped bend, somewhat like the lightning bolt of the Marvel Comics superhero Flash. Some also refer to it as the reversed “N” shape.

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One end of Lake Wakatipu lies far away in the middle of this photo
Queenstown, Aug 2006
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One end of the lake is near the Southern Alps where the melt waters become the Dart River that flows into it. At the other end of the lake at Frankton, near Queenstown Airport, the Kawaura River flows out, draining the lake.

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The Kawaura River flows out of Lake Wakatipu at Frankton
Queenstown, Aug 2006
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Geologically, the lake was carved out by great glaciers during the ice age. It is very deep, reaching to depths of almost 300m and almost 100m below sea level.

There is also an unusual phenomena at Lake Wakatipu. Every 5 minutes, the water in the lake rise and then fall as much as 12cm. Early Maori noticed this phenomena too and attributed this rhythmic rise and fall to the heartbeat of a giant. There is a scientific explanation for this and putting it simply, it is a natural oscillation that occurs in deep inland lakes.

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Queenstown Bay
Queenstown, May 2005
These Maori legends add to the colourful history and beauty of Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown.