Queenstown-Walter Peak & Lake Wakatipu (1)

Carved out of the last ice age 15,000 years ago, Lake Wakatipu was formed by a huge glacier that pushed through the land from the north-west. Though the lake is a relatively thin ‘S’ shape, the jagged mountains that surround it run straight into its depths, forming a deep canyon that is 399 metres at its deepest point. The second largest lake in the Southern Lakes District, Lake Wakatipu covers 290 square km, is 84km long and 5km wide at its widest point.