Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown, New Zealand
© Raimondo Restelli/500px
Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown, New Zealand
These are the flat calm waters of Lake Wakatipu on the South Island of New Zealand. Wakatipu, the country's third largest lake, is shaped like a lightning bolt. This unusual shape creates a seiche, or standing wave, which causes the lake’s waters to rise and fall a few inches every 26 minutes. According to Maori legend, this ‘tide’ is said to be from the heartbeat of Matau, a huge monster that sleeps at the bottom of the lake.
Red-necked grebes in Germany
Aerial photo of yachts racing in Cowes Week on the Solent, Isle of Wight, Hampshire
Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
Mangrove forest in the Saloum Delta National Park, Senegal
Saint George Island and Our Lady of the Rocks in the Bay of Kotor, Perast, Montenegro
Dolbadarn Castle at the base of the Llanberis Pass, Snowdonia
Omijima Island in Kita-Nagato Kaigan Quasi-National Park, Japan
Preveli gorge with river and palm tree forest, South Chania, Crete, Greece
