Lake Alabaster / Wāwāhi Waka, also known by the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

name of ''Waiwahuika'', lies at the northern end of

Fiordland Fiordland (, "The Pit of Tattooing", and also translated as "the Shadowlands"), is a non-administrative geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western third of Southland. Most of F ...

, in the southwest of New Zealand's

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. The

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

runs from northeast to southwest, is , and covers . Lake Alabaster drains, and is drained by, the

Pyke River The Pyke River is a river in the south west of New Zealand's South Island. It flows generally south into Lake Wilmot then Lake Alabaster, before becoming a tributary of the Hollyford River. The Pyke River begins at the confluence of the Sealy ...

, a small tributary of the

Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka The Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka is in the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for through Fiordland, its sources being close to the Homer Tunnel and in Gertrude Valley in the southern Darran Mountains. At first, the ...

. It is one of two lakes (along with Lake McKerrow / Whakatipu Waitai) found in the lower reaches of the Hollyford River system. A branch of the

Hollyford Track The Hollyford Track is a tramping track in New Zealand. Located at the northern edge of Fiordland, in the southwestern South Island, it is unusual among Fiordland's major tracks in that it is largely flat and accessible year-round. It follows ...

, one of New Zealand's most well-known and popular

tramping Tramping may refer to: Travel *Hiking *Trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting ...

tracks, extends along the eastern shore of the lake. The lake was formed at the southern end of a glacial valley and, had the sea level been slightly higher, would have been the northern arm of what might have been McKerrow Fiord.

References

Lakes of Fiordland Fiordland National Park {{Fiordland-geo-stub