LAKE MANAPOURI

Nestled amongst the Kepler Mountains, Turret Range and the Hunter Mountains, Lake Manapouri and surrounds offer stunning scenery and numerous activities to enjoy. It is a great spot for families and those who love boating, fishing, kayaking, swimming, day walks, and tramping.

Often described as New Zealand’s most beautiful lake, Lake Manapouri’s stunning sandy beaches and deep blue waters can make you feel like you are on a pacific island, not in the deep south of New Zealand. Measuring 444 metres deep, the lake is New Zealand’s second deepest. Formed by a glacier, Lake Manapouri has been cut deep into the ground – the bottom of the lake now lies 267 metres below sea level.

The lake has four arms; North, South, West and Hope, with the smaller indentations of Shallow Bay and Calm Bay. West Arm provides access to Doubtful Sound via Wilmot Pass. The Waiau River is both a natural inlet and outlet for the lake, flowing into the northeast of the lake from Lake Te Anau and flowing out from Manapouri’s south-eastern end. The outlet however has been diverted due to the development of Manapōuri Hydroelectric Power Station. Water now flows unnaturally westward down West Arm to the sea at Doubtful Sound.