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The resort town of Queenstown is situated in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. The city is built around Lake Wakatipu which happens to be a thin long ‘S- shaped' lake. The lake is one of the popular sightseeing destinations in Queenstown. Lake Wakatipu is an inland lake which lies in the South Island of New Zealand. The lake is located in the southwest corner of Otago, near its boundary with Southland. Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown is the longest lake in New Zealand with a length of about 80 kilometers. The lake has an altitude of 310 meters towards the southern end of the Southern Alps. The general topography is a reversed "N" shape. Towards the Northern end of the river flows the Dart River and the lake then runs south for about 30 kilometers before it turns abruptly to the East. It then continues to travel in the eastwardly direction for about twenty kilometers and again turns sharply to the South end reaching 30 kilometres further south, near Kingston. The Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown is drained by the Kawarau River flows out from the lake's Frankton Arm which lies about 8km east of Queenstown. Queenstown lies to the northern shore of the lake and very close to eastern end of its middle section. Lake Wakatipu is very deep, the floor being as low as about 100 metres below the sea level. The waters levels of the lake rise and fall by some 200 millimetres in Queenstown Bay, in what is known as a seiche. The Lake is known for its renowned and scenic beauty. The mountain range, Remarkables lies along the southeastern edge of the lake. The area around the lake is a popular venue for adventure tourism with skifields, paragliding, bungy jumping and tramping tracks within easy reach. You could take a ride on a vintage steamboat the T.S.S. Earnslaw which regularly plies on the lake waters. You can also visit the several vineyards which are nearby.
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