Schoolgirl swims length of Lake Taupo

A Wellington schoolgirl who three years ago became the youngest female to swim the Cook Strait has notched up another feat of endurance, swimming across Lake Taupo this Easter.

Stephanie Bennington, 16, swam 40.2km across the lake from Waihi Bay to the Taupo Yacht Club in 11 hours and 54 minutes on Good Friday, the Dominion Post reported today.

She became the 25th person to complete the swim and was believed to be the youngest.

Bennington was the youngest female to swim the Cook Strait in 2007 when she was 13.

Her coach, Philip Rush, said her latest achievement was a far tougher mental challenge than Cook Strait.

"It's just the extra distance and the time [in the water] that you have to be a bit more mature to cope with that extra pace and distance."

Rush holds the record for the fastest crossing, in 1985 when he clocked 10 hours 14 minutes.

- NZPA