Lake Fergus is a lake in the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 of New Zealand, located at 44°50′42"S 168°6′40"E.

A small lake between Lake Te Anau

Lake Te Anau

Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. Its name was originally Te Ana-au, Maori for 'The cave of swirling water'. The lake covers an area of 344 km², making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and the largest in the South Island...

 and Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site...

, it lies adjacent to the State Highway 94

New Zealand State Highway network

The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...

 (the Milford Sound Road). The lake is within the boundary of the Fiordland National Park

Fiordland National Park

Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of 12,500 km², and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site...

, and is surrounded by native bush. The west branch of the Eglinton River flows through the lake, and it drains into Lake Gunn

Lake Gunn

Lake Gunn is a lake in the South Island of New Zealand, located at .A small lake between Lake Te Anau and Milford Sound, it lies close to the State Highway 94 . The small tramping camp of Cascade Creek lies close to the lake's southern end...

 located south of it.

The first Europeans to explore the valley were McKellar and Gunn in 1861. William H. Homer (after whom the Homer Tunnel

Homer Tunnel

The Homer Tunnel is a road tunnel in the Fiordland region of the South Island of New Zealand, opened in 1954. New Zealand State Highway 94 passes through the tunnel, linking Milford Sound to Te Anau and Queenstown, by piercing the Main Divide at the Homer Saddle...

 is named) and George Barber named Lake Fergus in 1889 after Thomas Fergus

Thomas Fergus

Thomas Fergus was a 19th century New Zealand politician.-Early life:Thomas Fergus was born in Ayr Scotland on 6 April 1850. There is some question as to the Hon Thomas Fergus' date of birth as the NZ Government records are two years different from this birth record, and his newspaper obituary...

, the Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for the Wakatipu electorate

Wakatipu (New Zealand electorate)

Wakatipu was a parliamentary electorate in the Otago Region of New Zealand, from 1871 to 1928.Wakatipu was represented by eight Members of Parliament:* Charles Edward Haughton in 1871* Bendix Hallenstein from 1872 to 1873* Vincent Pyke from 1873 to 1875...

at the time.