The Wakatipu Basin is a plain surrounded by mountains in

Queenstown Lakes District Queenstown-Lakes District, a local government district, is in the Otago Region of New Zealand that was formed in 1986. It is surrounded by the districts of Central Otago, Southland, Westland and Waitaki. Much of the area is often referred t ...

, in the southern South Island of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. At the south west corner is found the Queenstown suburb of Frankton and

Queenstown Airport Queenstown International Airport is an international airport located in Frankton, Otago, New Zealand, which serves the resort town of Queenstown. The airport handled 2.10 million passengers as of 2024, making it the fourth busiest airport i ...

. This is where the basin abuts the Frankton arm of

Lake Wakatipu Lake Wakatipu () is an inland lake (finger lake) in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of the Otago region, near its boundary with Southland, New Zealand, Southland. ''Lake Wakatipu'' comes from the original Māori l ...

. At the northeast corner of the basin is

Arrowtown Arrowtown () is a historic gold mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Arrowtown is located on the banks of the Arrow River ( Māori: ''Haehaenui'') approximately 7.5 km from State Highway 6. Arrowtown is loc ...

and at the NW corner is Arthur's Point. To the south is found the Remarkables mountain range; to the North is

Coronet Peak Coronet Peak is a commercial skifield in Queenstown, New Zealand located seven kilometres west of Arrowtown, on the southern slopes of the 1,649-metre peak which shares its name. A popular ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere, Coronet Peak ...

. The

Crown Range The Crown Range is a mountain range that lies to the east of the Wakatipu Basin in Otago, New Zealand. It is noted for two features, the Cardrona Alpine Resort, on the slopes of the 1900 metre Mount Cardrona, and a highway, known as the Crown ...

forms the eastern boundary of the basin. Located centrally in the basin is

Lake Hayes Lake Hayes () is a small lake in the Wakatipu Basin in Central Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located close to the towns of Arrowtown and Queenstown. The southern end of the lake is close to , while the western side is bordered ...

. Much of the basin is drained by the

Kawarau River The Kawarau River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains Lake Wakatipu in northwestern Otago via the lake's Frankton Arm. The river flows generally eastwards for about and passes through the steep Kawarau Gorge until it join ...

. The economy of the basin and surrounding areas is largely supported by tourism, though the importance of the vineyards of the Gibbston Valley and

Central Otago wine region The Central Otago wine region is a geographical indication in New Zealand's South Island, and the world's southernmost commercial wine growing region. While Central Otago is best known for Pinot Noir, many white wine varieties are also popular. ...

s has increased since the 1990s.

Demographics

Wakatipu Basin statistical area, which includes

Millbrook Resort Millbrook Resort is a luxury resort near Queenstown, New Zealand. It is located 4 kilometres to the west of the historic gold-mining town of Arrowtown. The resort covers 650 acres of the Wakatipu Basin - a glacial valley bordered by the Cro ...

, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Before the 2023 census, Wakatipu Basin had a larger boundary, covering . Using that boundary, Wakatipu Basin had a population of 1,356 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, an increase of 198 people (17.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 336 people (32.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 483 households, comprising 702 males and 654 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 45.7 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 258 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 192 (14.2%) aged 15 to 29, 690 (50.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 216 (15.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 92.7% European/

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

, 3.5%

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 ...

, 0.2%

Pasifika Pasifika may refer to: *Pacific Islander people, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands **Pasifika New Zealanders, Pacific peoples living in New Zealand *Pacific Islands, including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia *The Pasifika Festival, an a ...

, 2.9% Asian, and 4.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 26.8, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.1% had no religion, 33.4% were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 0.4% had

Māori religious beliefs 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 ...

, 0.2% were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.2% were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and 1.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 381 (34.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 81 (7.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $52,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 402 people (36.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 594 (54.1%) people were employed full-time, 186 (16.9%) were part-time, and 9 (0.8%) were unemployed.

References

{{Queenstown-Lakes Drainage basins of New Zealand Queenstown-Lakes District Landforms of Otago