| Lake Hauroko | |
|---|---|
| Location | Fiordland National Park, Southland District, Southland Region, South Island |
| Primary outflows | Wairaurahiri River |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 40 km |
| Surface area | 63 km² |
| Max. depth | 463 m |
| Islands | 1 (Mary Island) |
Lake Hauroko is located in a mountain valley in Fiordland National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The long S-shaped lake is 30 kilometres in length and covers an area of 63 km². The surface is at an altitude of 150 metres above sea level, and the lake is 463 metres deep. It is New Zealand's deepest lake.
Mystery In the 1960s a group of men went fishing and hunting near and around the lake. Two men stayed on shore and the three other went out on the lake with their dog, packs and guns. The two men on shore listened as the boat went out on the lake as there was a thick fog enclosing it, after awhile the boat cut out and the men where never heard from again. A few days later their packs, guns and the dog were found on shore unharmed and dry in the inside, even though the boat cut out in the middle of the lake and the men were never seen again.
One of the country's southernmost lakes, it is 35 kilometres northwest of Tuatapere, between the similarly-sized lakes Monowai and Poteriteri. It drains via the 20 kilometre-long Wairaurahiri River into Foveaux Strait 10 kilometres to the west of Te Waewae Bay.
The only island on the lake, Mary Island, is the focus of several local myths, including one that the island is subject to a Māori curse. Such stories are dismissed by local Māori.