Largest lakes & reservoirs in New Zealand by shoreline length
The length of the exterior shoreline around a lake is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. The shoreline length can be considerably shorter or longer when lake water levels are lower or higher than normal. A lake with many coves has a much longer shoreline than a lake of similar surface area that is nearly circular in shape.When known, the shoreline miles that we report in our statistics include only the lake’s exterior shoreline, and exclude the shorelines of islands located within a lake’s boundaries. In lakes with many islands, those islands’ combined shorelines may exceed a lake’s exterior shoreline.
You can find many of the world’s longest-shoreline lakes on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, "Longest Shorelines" data is unknown or does not apply, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 31 articles we have published for New Zealand lakes.
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Below are lakes within New Zealand > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in New Zealand, only the 31 New Zealand lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Shoreline length in miles | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Lake Kaniere, New Zealand (New Zealand, South Island, NZ, West Coast Region, South Island, NZ) |
12 mi | At 5,436 acres, Lake Kaniere is the second largest lake among the West Coast lakes of the South Island of New Zealand. With 12 miles of shoreline and … |
Lake Okareka, New Zealand (New Zealand, North Island, NZ, Rotorua Region, North Island, NZ) |
7 mi | One of four small crater lakes lying between Lake Tarawera and Lake Rotorua in the Rotorua District of the Bay of Plenty, Lake Okareka has always been … |
Lake Matheson (New Zealand, South Island, NZ, West Coast Region, South Island, NZ) |
1 mi | The only way to approach Lake Matheson on the south island of New Zealand is on foot. Visitors to the South Westland lake park their cars, then start … |