The Many Faces of Lake Wakatipu

This is part of my series on lakes renowned for their scenic beauty. Lake Wakatipu is not only renowned for its beauty, it has many attributes that make it worthy, in my humble opinion, of being a lake with many faces.

Firstly, it is New Zealand's longest lake and secondly, it is the third largest lake in the country. This accounts for the many different vistas of this lake that makes it beautiful in many different ways.

On another count, Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand is pristine. This is not just a descriptive adjective an enthusiastic writer would use for all lovely lakes, it is actually pristine in the true sense of the word, having its original purity. The lake water is said to be more than 90% pure. 


It is also a lake with a myth. An old Maori tale is that a giant's heart beats at the bottom of the lake which is below sea level. In fact Wakatipu means 'hollow of the giant'.


If you are a movie buff, you probably already know that Hollywood had used the lake for the location of "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" and "Vertical Limit". And who does not know that certain sequences from "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" were filmed here?


And of course, the lake area is an area that attracts not only extreme sports but also boating, fishing and cruising.

View from Bob's Peak.

View of the lake with the Remarkables in the horizon.

Venture a little closer and you could hear the giant's heartbeat if you listen closely.

From the deck of a cruise boat on the lake.

From my window at the resort at break of day.

View from the Queenstown Botanic Garden.

View from the lake looking at the bank where the homes of the rich and famous are located.

When you have a lake like this, anywhere you turn, the scene is just perfect for a shot. All these photographs are posted here without even cropping. Nature is awfully kind to photographers here. I could go on and on posting more photographs, but that would take all night. 

Please take a trip to Scenic Sunday for more fabulous vistas, and to Weekend Reflections and SOOC for more fantastic shots.