Recreation information has moved to the "Can I Swim Here?" section of LAWA
Water quality in Lake Wakatipu / Whakatipu is excellent. Since water sampling began at this site in 2018, it has been suitable for swimming most of the time. However, with many ducks congregating around the shore of Queenstown Bay, their duck poop has found to be the main cause of bacteria elevations - in particular, on windy days when the sand/sediment is stirred up in the water contributing to an elevated bacteria count. Horn Creek enters Queenstown Bay and on rainy days stormwater enters the creek may carry higher bacterial concentrations - which is why we recommend you stay out of the water for 48 hours after rainfall.
Queenstown Bay is the town’s main beach and is wonderfully refreshing on a hot day making it a very popular spot in the summer. Water quality at Queenstown Bay is generally safe for recreational activities.