Southern Lakes (New Zealand)

The Southern Lakes is an unofficial name given to an area of the southern South Island of New Zealand. Despite being an unofficial designation, the term Southern Lakes is sometimes used by organisations such as the New Zealand Meteorological Service [1] and Automobile Association.[2] Though exact definitions vary, the area encompasses parts of western Southland (including Fiordland) and Central Otago, and is occasionally extended to include the Mackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury, a total of roughly 28,000 to 35,000 square kilometres (11,000 to 14,000 sq mi).

NASA satellite image of the Southern Lakes, looking north-northwest. The prominent central zigzag is Lake Wakatipu; to the north are the twin lakes of Wanaka and Hawea, beyond which lie the Mackenzie Basin's Ohau, Pukaki, and Tekapo. To the left of Wakatipu is the branched form of Lake Te Anau; south of this is the smaller Manapouri and – close to the south coast – Hauroko and Poteriteri.

The region is generally lightly populated, with much of its southwestern part being uninhabited national park. Much of the scenery was heavily glaciated during the last ice age, and as such contains many broad U-shaped valleys, several of which are filled with large lakes. These include the country's deepest lake, Lake Hauroko, and three of the country's four largest lakes. If the Mackenzie Basin is included, seven of the country's ten largest lakes form part of the Southern Lakes.

Many of the region's lakes feed the country's second-longest river, the Clutha River, and its tributaries — these include Lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka, and Hawea, as well as the artificial lakes Dunstan (formed on the river by a hydroelectric dam at Clyde) and Roxburgh (formed behind a similar but smaller dam at Roxburgh). Other lakes, such as Te Anau and Manapouri, feed the system of the Waiau River. The northern group of Mackenzie Basin lakes form part of the Waitaki River system.

The areas main centres of population are Queenstown and Wanaka in Otago, and Te Anau in Southland.

List of lakes
Lake Te Anau

Lakes with a surface area of more than 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi). Those listed as being in Canterbury are often excluded from definitions of the Southern Lakes.

RankNameSurface areaRegionNotes
1Lake Te Anau344 km2 (133 sq mi)SouthlandLargest lake in the South Island, Second largest in New Zealand
2Lake Wakatipu291 km2 (112 sq mi)Otago
3Lake Wanaka192 km2 (74 sq mi)Otago
4Lake Pukaki179 km2 (69 sq mi)Canterbury
5Lake Manapouri142 km2 (55 sq mi)Southland
6Lake Hāwea141 km2 (54 sq mi)Otago
7Lake Tekapo83 km2 (32 sq mi)Canterbury
8Lake Hauroko63 km2 (24 sq mi)SouthlandNew Zealand's deepest lake
9Lake Ohau63 km2 (24 sq mi)Canterbury
10Lake Poteriteri43 km2 (17 sq mi)Southland
11Lake Monowai31 km2 (12 sq mi)Southland
12Lake McKerrow28 km2 (11 sq mi)Southland
13Lake Dunstan26 km2 (10 sq mi)OtagoArtificial

Other notable lakes include the Mavora Lakes of Southland, Lake Hayes in Otago, and the artificial Lake Ruataniwha, part of the Canterbury-Otago boundary.

Panorama of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu

References
  1. Southern Lakes, NZ Metservice.
  2. Southern Lakes, AA Traveller.
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