If the stress of the world is getting to you then there’s probably no better place to be than in Lake Tekapo. This is another of those must-visit destinations when you’re in New Zealand.
As for why? Not everyone enjoys long hikes to get to a spot with dazzling views. Lake Tekapo is perfect if you’re one of these people. Its best views are quite accessible and you really only need to be in the town to enjoy these.
Lake Tekapo: Still a Must-Visit Place Even During Winter
Now to be perfectly clear, when I say Lake Tekapo I’m mainly talking about the town. There are plenty of locations around the lake that also offer great (some might say even better) views but none are as accessible as the town itself. In fact, if you’re going to check out the other locations around the lake then the town is going to be the best place to start.
As for getting here, arguably the best way to do so is by renting your own car. That said, there are also tour packages that already include transportation so that might be more convenient. Anyway, when I got here one of the first things I did was head on over to the lake’s outflow. This is the area at the northernmost part of the town (southernmost part of the lake) where the lake empties into the Tekapo River.
We arrived here quite early so the sun still wasn’t out. At that time, it was very tranquil and as you can see in the image, there were already people up and about admiring the dawn views here. One thing that really made an impression on me was how certain areas of the landscape seemed…
And then in another area you’d see this dramatic image of the sun’s rays dramatically highlighting parts of the very same landscape. This contrast is really appealing to me and I think that might be one of the reasons why so many people come here yearly. I’ve visited numerous countries over the course of the year and don’t think their best views come close to what you’ll find here in New Zealand (at least when it comes to contrast).
Just look at the sun rising over the mountains east of the town. From where I was taking the picture, it honestly looked like there was a huge pot of gold behind that mountain. As for the foreground, you’ll notice a number of vehicles and people around the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd. Looking back at this now, I kind of feel envious of the people who live here and get to see this sight on a regular basis.
Now if you do intend to stay here, there are a number of inns and accommodations (like Peppers Bluewater Resort) that you can find on either of the eastern and western areas of Lake Tekapo. Personally, I’d only look into these if I was going to stay here for quite some time. If you’re here on a day trip then you might be better off joining a tour much like the people near the vans in this image.
Here you’ll see the peaks of Mt Hay which is to the east of Lake Tekapo. There’s a ski area near the base of the mountain next to this but unfortunately, Lake Tekapo might not be the best place to start if you wanted to visit there during winter. That said, if you’re just after stunning photographs like this then you really can’t go wrong being here in this town.
So one thing you’ll notice here is that some wet parts of the ground and these are thanks to the melting snow. This only really happens during the winter though and isn’t going to be the case the whole year round. In fact, it’s going to be a little dry once summer comes around which also happens to be arguably the best season to visit Lake Tekapo.
Make no mistake, Lake Tekapo is still an awesome place to be in even during the winter. However, you won’t be able to enjoy activities like swimming in the winter. I mean you could if you’re a madman who enjoys dipping in near freezing water. That said, I do think the views in winter (like in the image above) are still worth checking out.
One of the activities available to visitors here during the winter is stargazing. Since this is in the Southern Hemisphere, the nights here are a little longer during that season. The thing is though, you’re going to want to stay here overnight if you do intend to stargaze and you don’t have your own car. From what I can remember, the typical travel time from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo is more than 3 hours (just one way). The return trip takes more or less the same time to complete and is only available in the afternoon.
So what if you’re unable to stay the night? Don’t worry as there are still plenty of things here on Lake Tekapo’s shore for your eyes and cameras to enjoy. One of these is this sculpture from ArtSpace Tekapo. I’m not quite sure who sculpted this but it’s definitely one of the more noticeable installations that I came across here. Looking at it, I was instantly reminded of Caravaggio’s Medusa.
Aside from installations, you might also be interested in checking out the architecture of the town. The Church of the Good Shepherd is an ideal place to start because it’s typically just a walking distance from the carpark for tourist vans. If you’re tired of all the Gothic Revival in Christchurch then this unique church building just might pique your interest.
As I got closer to the lake’s edge, I noticed how different some of its areas are. The water in the image above looked gray-ish and didn’t seem that enticing. Now you’re probably asking if this is the same lake. It actually is and the reason why it looked this way was that the sun’s light still hadn’t reached this particular area (in addition to that time of day being cloudy).
If you looked to the right of the previous image, this is what you’d be seeing. It looks like a totally different place when in fact it’s still part of the same view. Looking back on this now, I’m reminded of the views I saw at Hooker Valley Track (which I also highly recommend you visit).
Now even with the sun already up, it was still relatively cloudy at the time I took this picture. Again, this is to be expected considering the season. By the time summer comes around though, the weather should be a little better. Now, as to when you ought to visit, that’s going to be entirely up to you.
This sign is another of the installations here in Lake Tekapo (these can be found near the Dark Sky Project building in the Western section of the town). It’s actually for a really cool project called the Lake Tekapo Solar System Challenge. From what I’ve been told, it’s touted as a free outdoor learning experience for people to be able to experience our solar system’s vast scale. There are actually other markers/installations here and they all correspond to the placement of the planets in our solar system. Additionally, there’s a sundial that also tracks the movement of the sun. All of these together are what’s collectively called an astronomical analemma.
Aside from the waters of Lake Tekapo being too cold, another thing you’ll be missing out on when you visit during winter is the plants. I’ve seen images of Lake Tekapo in the summer and it’s honestly quite a sight. The colors of the plants and their flowers really add a vibrant atmosphere that’s sorely missing when you come here in the winter.
Make no mistake about it though, Lake Tekapo is still very charming. The views definitely look more somber but you don’t end up feeling depressed at all. In fact, there’s this energy that’s very palpable here and you actually kind of feel energized just walking around this area (at least I did).
Perhaps one location that truly transforms during the summer is the area around the Church of the Good Shepherd. This features not only lush grass but also a number of flowers and shrubs that add a little color to the surroundings. Then once autumn comes around, the area becomes one of the best places to observe the sunset.
So one thing that’s not really noticeable from this vantage point is how clear the water in the lake is. At one point, you’ve probably come across pictures or videos of a lake that had crystal clear water. Chances are, those were probably taken from Lake Tekapo. Seriously, the water here looks so clear that you might end up taking a dip once you see it.
And you know what, there’s actually no law or rule prohibiting you from taking a dip here at Lake Tekapo. Again, the water here is near freezing in the winter so it’s definitely a bad idea to take a swim here when I took this picture. Another thing that you’ll want to remember is that while the water might be crystal clear, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s clean or potable.
Man, the views here were seriously so good. I think Hooker Valley Track’s views were arguably the best but this right here was also amazing. And what’s even better is that there’s still plenty to see even during nighttime. You see, Lake Tekapo has very strict lighting ordinances at night to minimize light pollution. Thanks to this, the stars are so easily visible in the night sky here that it’s become a haven for stargazers and astrophotographers.
So here you’ll see a group of people checking out the banks of the lake over on the western side of the town. At this point, the banks on either side were slowly becoming busy with the sun now almost up. Moreover, it was now much easier to see the snow covered peaks of what I think is Mt. Hay.
Every time the sky became overcast, I’d notice how drastically it would affect the light near the banks. Considering it was still the winter season though, this might just be par for the course. Still, this shouldn’t detract from how nice these views were.
Across the lake from Mt. Hay is Mt. John. Now it might look unassuming but it actually has some notable attractions that I think are worth a visit especially if you’re someone who really enjoys stargazing. There’s a trail there that you can hike to reach the top of the mountain. Once there, you then check out the University of Canterbury’s Mt. John observatory.
You’ve probably noticed these evergreen trees at the foot of Mt. Hay. If I’m not mistaken, these are part of the Tekapo Regional Park. There are also a number of attractions here with Astro Tekapo (a family run stargazing company) probably being the most notable.
So while I was looking around for more info about Tekapo Regional Park, I came across Lake Tekapo NZMCA Park (which you’ll find behind or in the vicinity of the trees in the image). Initially I thought this was another conservation area but as it turns out, it’s actually an RV Park for the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association. Unfortunately, this is a private “park” so I decided to not go anywhere near it.
One thing that I was quite worried about when I was here was the weather. I’d already checked the forecasts for that day and I wasn’t actually expecting the weather to be inclement. The clouds on the surrounding mountains though seemed to look otherwise.
Oh would you look at that! I’m not going to lie, this image looked like what I’d imagine the sun in the ‘Rapture’ would look like. Kidding aside, this was honestly such a cool shot of the sun which just goes to highlight (see what I did there) the nice quality of the light here in New Zealand.
Remember earlier when I said the weather was what I was most worried about? Here you’ll see clouds obscuring the peaks of Mt. Dobson. Again, I was pretty thankful that the weather didn’t turn for the worse.
Here’s another shot of the Church of the Good Shepherd. I don’t think I’ve talked about this yet but you can also stargaze from here. I’ve seen plenty of images where the church served as the foreground while the Milky Way served as the focus in the background. Since it still wasn’t night though, I had to temporarily contend with the church serving as the foreground to the snowcapped peak of Mt. Hay.
Moving on from the Church of the Good Shepherd, I came across this large block of concrete that, according to this sign, used to be a part of the Old Road Bridge. Specifically, this used to be one of the bridge’s foundations. Now while the bridge is now gone, a smaller one (more on this later) did end up replacing it.
This sign here talks about the development of the smaller bridge which now mainly caters to foot traffic. Aside from a short history of the Lake Tekapo Footbridge, the sign also features some neat stats pertaining to the materials used in its construction. One neat fact that I discovered about this bridge is that it actually wasn’t built here but rather, it was assembled in Christchurch then brought over.
Welp, here’s what the footbridge looks like now. It actually looks quite impressive and I’m pretty sure it has no problems holding 20 or more people (unlike that First Swing Bridge at Hooker Valley Track). As with any bridge, jumping off of here is strictly prohibited owing to the relatively shallow water.
It doesn’t seem like it but the Maclaren Footbridge is actually relatively large. This is especially true if you look at it from this angle. Anyway, you’ll also notice Mt. Hay with its majestic snow covered peak again in the background of this image.
Before passing over the bridge, I also decided to take a picture of this Wishing Well. Now I wasn’t quite sure about its history but it does seem rather old. Then just behind me you’ll find a public toilet that you’ll need to pay in order to use.
From near the Wishing Well you can also see the Lake Tekapo Control Structure which serves as a dam as well as a bridge with two lanes. It’s not shown in its entirety but behind the Control Structure is a 4-star hotel called Grand Suites Lake Tekapo. Now if you want to stay a night or two here then the area where the hotel is also has other hotels that you might also want to check for accommodations.
I then finally moved across to the eastern section of the town and of course, I had to walk on the Maclaren Footbridge. The view here was picturesque though again, the First Swing Bridge’s in Hooker Valley Track is pretty hard to top. Then again, not everyone might want to go out of their way to hike that trail. In terms of convenience, I think this lake and town are probably better (or at the very least, more convenient).
I’d like to end this writeup with this picture of Mt. John.
Anyway, what do I think of Lake Tekapo? I’m actually quite impressed at just how many views are available for travelers. Whether it’s at night or in the morning, there are activities here that you can easily join. There are also issues like the availability of public utility vehicles going back to Christchurch. That said, these aren’t that concerning for me but some other people might consider it a dealbreaker. Overall, I liked Lake Tekapo and its nice mix of rustic and modern vibes.
Have you gone recently to Lake Tekapo? If yes then I’d appreciate it if you shared your thoughts and experiences with this notable travel hotspot down in the comments section.
