Lake Taupō
lake, New Zealand
- Māori:
- Taupō moana (“Taupō sea”)
Lake Taupō, lake, the largest in New Zealand, on the volcanic plateau of central North Island. It has a total surface area of 234 square miles (606 square km), and its surface lies at an elevation of 1,172 feet (357 metres). The lake has a depth of about 525 feet (160 metres). It covers the remains of several volcanic craters, notably those of the dormant Taupō volcano in the northeastern portion of the lake. A series of cataclysmic eruptions at Taupō and other nearby volcanoes some 1,800 years ago created the large caldera (collapsed volcano) that the lake now occupies. ...(100 of 225 words)