Lake Wānaka’s popular pontoon has been removed from the lake temporarily after it was found to be unsafe.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) spokesperson Sam White told the Wānaka App the council was notified last week (Thursday January 11) about damage to the two ladders on the pontoon. 

When a local diver was engaged to work on the ladders the next day he noticed that three of the pontoon’s four float sections were on the lake bed.

This made the structure unsafe, Sam said.

“As a result, the pontoon has been removed from the water and is pending urgent assessment and, if possible, repair by a suitable engineer.”

QLDC councillor Lyal Cocks said the pontoon was in “a very bad state of repair”.

“It is a very popular water feature and disappointing to let it get into such a poor and dangerous state,” he said. 

Sam said he hoped the work would be completed as quickly as possible “so that lake users can return to diving off and sunbathing on the pontoon for the rest of the season”.

PHOTO: lakewanaka.co.nz