Lake Gunn is a

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 ...

in the

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 ...

of New Zealand, located at .

Geography

A small lake between

Lake Te Anau Lake Te Anau () is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of , making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand (after Lake Taupō) and the largest in the South Island. It is the ...

and

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi Milford Sound (, officially gazetted as Milford Sound / Piopiotahi) is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Fiordland's marine reserves, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te ...

, it lies close to the

New Zealand State Highway 94 State Highway 94 is a New Zealand state highway connecting the large Southland town of Gore with one of New Zealand's most popular destinations, Milford Sound. It also passes the significant townships of Lumsden and Te Anau as well going thr ...

(the Milford Road) and the Divide of the

Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Souther ...

. The small tramping camp of Cascade Creek lies close to the lake's southern end. The west branch of the

Eglinton River The Eglinton River is located in the region of Southland in the southwest of New Zealand. It flows through Fiordland National Park for . Its headwaters are at Lake Gunn, east of Milford Sound, and it flows generally south before entering Lake ...

flows through the lake. There is
Department of Conservation campsite
located within. The lake is within the boundary of the

Fiordland National Park Fiordland National Park is a national park in the south-west corner of South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 13 National parks of New Zealand, national parks in New Zealand, with an area covering , and a major part of the Te W� ...

, and is surrounded by native bush. Several smaller lakes lie nearby, including

Lake Fergus Lake Fergus () is a lake in the 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

Lake McKellar 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 t ...

. Several mountains stand close to the lake's western shore, notably Melita Peak (1680 m) and the former Consolation Peak (1760 m) which in December 2012 was nominated to be named after Author

JRR Tolkien JRR may refer to: * J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973), English writer, poet, philologist and university professor * Jaime Robbie Reyne (born 1985), Australian singer * Jay Robinson Racing, a racing team * Jiru language * Jackie Robinson Jack R ...

to the

New Zealand Geographic Board The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is the authority over geographical and hydrographic names within New Zealand and its territorial waters. This includes the naming of small urban settlements, localities, mounta ...

to mark two historic events. "The Divide", the saddle between the valleys of the Eglinton and

Hollyford River 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 ...

s, lies four kilometres north of the lake.

History

The lake was named after George Gunn, a runholder, who was regarded as the first European to visit the lake, in 1861. the name Consolation Peak originated from local Mountaineer Sir

Erskine Bowmar Erskine may refer to: Places * Erskine, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Erskine, South Australia, Australia * Erskine, Western Australia, Australia * Erskine, Alberta, Canada * Erskine, Oregon, U.S. * Erskine, Minnesota, U.S. * Erskine, West Virgin ...

but due to an administrative error was placed on the wrong mountain. In 1980 The Name Consolation Peak was moved to another nearby mountain bearing a JRR Tolkien name Mount

Gondor Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. The third volume of ''The Lord of the Rings'', '' The Return of the King'', is largel ...

(submitted in 1973 at the time of JRR Tolkien's death). Mount Gondor was subsequently omitted from

Land Information New Zealand Land Information New Zealand (LINZ; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with geographical information and surveying functions as well as handling land titles, and managing Crown land and property. The minister responsible ...

maps from 1980 onwardsOtago Daily Times April 18th 2013 Page 12 File:LakeGunnBush.jpg, Bush surrounding the lake File:Mt.Tolkien_Lake_Gunn_NZ.jpg, Lake Gunn

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunn, Lake Lakes of Fiordland Fiordland National Park