Lake Whakatipu / Wakatipu

Lake Whakatipu / Wakatipu is renowned for its scenic beauty, being surrounded by mountains. The Remarkables mountain range lies along its southeastern edge. It is a popular venue for adventure tourism, with skifields, paragliding, bungy jumping and tramping tracks within easy reach.

Lake Wakatipu / Whakatipu Waimāori is the second largest of the southern glacial lakes. Lake Whakatipu is 75.2km long and up to 5km wide, and covers an area of 289km².

The lake is 310m above sea level, is up to 380m deep, and occupies a single elongated glacial trench which has a gently sloping flat floor.The Dart and Rees Rivers flow into the northern end. The lake then runs south for 30km before turning abruptly to the east. Twenty kilometres further along, it turns sharply to the south, reaching its southern end 30km further south, near Kingston.

The lake is drained by the Kawarau River, which flows out from the lake's Frankton Arm, 8km east of Queenstown. At the foot of the lake is a natural dam of moraine. lake Wakatipu can currently be classified as being in an oligotrophic state. A water body’s trophic state is largely determined by nutrient inputs from the surrounding catchment (Barnes, 2002). The major inputs into Lake Whakatipu are the Dart and Rees Rivers, both of which have glacial origins and high-water quality. The immediate catchment is likely to contribute some nutrient input into the lake, especially around the township of Queenstown. Horne Creek is likely to contribute contaminants to Queenstown Bay from its agricultural, urban and industrial catchment. Lake Wakatipu is renowned for its scenic beauty, being surrounded by mountains. The Remarkables mountain range lies along its southeastern edge.

It is a popular venue for adventure tourism, with skifields, paragliding, bungy jumping and tramping tracks within easy reach.

Lake Summary

Lake size

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Scientific data for this lake

This dashboard shows information on the data collected by the regional councils and unitary authorities for two lake water quality and ecological condition measurements. LakeSPI (Lake Submerged Plant Indicators) and TLI (Trophic Level Index). Select an indicator to see the historical monitoring data.

Water Quality

Trophic Level Index (TLI)

This measure is the Trophic Level Index (TLI). The TLI indicates the life supporting capacity of a lake and is based on four water quality indicators.

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Trophic Level Index (TLI) history for this lake

Trophic Level Indicator (TLI) which measures four parameters: water clarity, chlorophyll content, total phosphorus and total nitrogen. From these parameters a TLI value is calculated. In cases where water clarity data is missing a three parameter TLI is calculated. The higher the value, the greater the nutrients and fertility of the water which encourages growth, including algal blooms. As a rule, higher TLI scores mean poorer water quality. View a factsheet on TLI

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TLI history for Lake Whakatipu / Wakatipu

Year

What do the icons mean?

Very good water quality. Trophic Level Index of 0-2. Microtrophic lake conditions.

Good water quality. Trophic Level Index of 2-3. Oligotrophic lake conditions.

Average water quality. Trophic Level Index of 3-4. Mesotrophic lake conditions.

Poor water quality. Trophic Level Index of 4-5. Eutrophic lake conditions.

Very poor water quality. Trophic Level Index of greater than 5. Supertrophic lake conditions.

No data available.

TLI history for Lake Whakatipu / Wakatipu data table

Year	TLI Score

Year	TLI Score

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Ecological Conditions

Lake Submerged Plant Indicators (LakeSPI)

The LakeSPI status describes the ecological condition of the lake and is based on plants present.

LakeSPI data provided by NIWA

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LakeSPI history for this lake

LakeSPI (Lake Submerged Plant Indicators) is a method of characterising the ecological condition of lakes based on the composition of native and invasive plants growing in them. A higher LakeSPI percentage result is associated with better ecological health:

LakeSPI	N/A
LakeSPI	{{spiData.details.Value}}%

The overall LakeSPI score is calculated using a Native Condition Index ('good' plants) and an Invasive Impact Index (introduced, non-native plants):

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Native Condition	{{spiData.details.NativeIndex}}%

Invasive Impact	N/A
Invasive Impact	{{spiData.details.InvasiveIndex}}%	NA

A higher Native Condition value indicates better ecological condition, but a higher Invasive Impact value indicates invasive plants are negatively impacting native plant communities.
View a factsheet on LakeSPI for more information on these indicators.

LakeSPI
Native Condition
Invasive Impact

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LakeSPI history for Lake Whakatipu / Wakatipu

Year

What is this graph showing me?

This graph is displaying the overall LakeSPI score over time. The results denote the ecological condition of the lake.

Excellent ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 75-100%.

High ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 50-75%.

Moderate ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 20-50%.

Poor ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 0-20%.

Non-vegetated. A LakeSPI score of 0% (there are no plants present).

No data available.

LakeSPI history for Lake Whakatipu / Wakatipu data table

Sample Date	LakeSPI Status	LakeSPI %	Native Condition Index %	Invasive Impact Index %

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NIWA LakeSPI is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 3.0 New Zealand License 2012. Visit the NIWA LakeSPI website.

LakeSPI information has been provided by NIWA.

Sites

Monitored sites on Lake Whakatipu / Wakatipu

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No sites found.