June 29, 2026, 5:12 am | Read time: 5 minutes

According to the official tourism website of Queenstown, a city on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, it was formed about 15,000 years ago when a massive glacier carved through the land. Lake Wakatipu is the third-largest lake in all of New Zealand and, at 84 kilometers long, the longest. Covering an area of 290 square kilometers, it reaches depths of up to 399 meters. The lake is so large that it even has its own tides. Approximately every 25 minutes, its water level rises and falls by 12 centimeters. Scientists have yet to explain this phenomenon. According to an old Maori legend, a love story is responsible.

The Love Legend of a Doomed Relationship

According to the legend, the lovers Matakauri and Manata once lived on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. He was an ordinary warrior, she the daughter of the tribal leader–a relationship with no future, it seemed at first. But then Manata was kidnapped by the terrible giant Matau, who took her to his cave. Manata’s inconsolable father promised his daughter’s hand to the young man who would bring her back. Only Matakauri was brave enough to venture into the giant’s lair. However, he initially could not untie her bonds, which were made of a magical rope.

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Desperate, Manata began to cry, and the love in her tears eventually broke the enchanted cord. The giant, who was asleep at the time, met a gruesome end when Matakauri set a fire beneath him. As his body melted, the landscape around him transformed, creating a massive crater. This, as you might have guessed, filled with the water of today’s Lake Wakatipu. The Maori consider the rising and falling of the water to be the heartbeat of the giant. It’s hardly surprising, then, that numerous legends also surround the lake’s unusual inhabitants, the New Zealand longfin eels.

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Exceptionally Large and Old

These mysterious fish grow exceptionally large. While an eel over a meter long would be considered an extraordinary catch in our regions, specimens in Lake Wakatipu average 116 centimeters in length. Fish up to two meters long have also been documented. In terms of weight, the New Zealand eel is also remarkable. Fish weighing 16 kilograms are not uncommon here, with the heaviest recorded catch at 24 kilograms. Reports of weights up to 40 kilograms and more, however, should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

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But it’s not just the “Tuna,” the Maori name for the eel, that is impressive. Its age can also be truly biblical. The New Zealand longfin eel can live up to 90 years, outliving many humans. According to “Aotearoa Dive,” a local diving company’s website, the Maori once revered the fish as a kind of celestial being. They believed that all eels once lived in a spring in paradise. When it dried up, the Tuna and other eel species descended to Earth. While its siblings migrated to the seas, the Tuna remained a freshwater fish and now lives, among other places, in Lake Wakatipu.

The Underwater Experience

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In another legend, the Tuna frightened the women of the demigod Māui. As punishment, Māui cut him in two, and both halves continued to exist. One part of the fish lived on in the sea, the other in freshwater. Lake Wakatipu is also home to other remarkable animals, such as the scaup, known for its extensive diving tours. It can dive up to eight meters deep and stay underwater for up to 45 seconds. Besides the longfin eel, trout and even salmon, which inhabit the lake, are popular among anglers.

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Those who want to experience the underwater world of Lake Wakatipu up close, without getting too close to its inhabitants, can do so at the “Queenstown Underwater Observatory.” Through a window, visitors can look directly into the lake and observe its wildlife. The experience also includes a short film in the in-house cinema, which provides information about the lake and its formation, as well as the Maori legends surrounding it. Admission for adults is 20 NZD (10 euros), and for children aged 3 to 14, it’s 12 NZD (6 euros). The attraction is open daily from 9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.