Sightseeing in Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo’s sights are close together. In one day you can see the stone church on the shore, the sheepdog statue, the view from Mount John and, after dark, the sky of an International Dark Sky Reserve. The lake gets its milky turquoise colour from fine rock flour carried down by glaciers. Prices are in New Zealand dollars.

Church of the Good Shepherd

This small stone church on the lakeshore was dedicated on 3 August 1935 as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country. The architect, R.S.D. Harman, worked from sketches by local artist Esther Hope. It is still a working church, open to all Christian traditions, and the rules exist to protect it:

  • The grounds are open 9am to 8pm during daylight saving months and 9am to 5pm the rest of the year.
  • There is no access inside the fenced grounds at night.
  • Photography inside the church is not allowed, and drones are banned at the church and across the village.
  • The building opens for limited hours. A volunteer may be on duty from about 10am to 3pm, Wednesday to Sunday, though not every day. Sunday worship runs from 4pm to 5:15pm.
  • A NZ$5 donation is suggested at the gate.

Park on the village side of the footbridge and walk across, because Pioneer Drive has very little parking. The church’s visitor page has the current hours.

The sheepdog statue

Next to the church stands a bronze collie, unveiled in 1968. It was paid for by the farmers of Mackenzie County to honour the working dogs that made high-country sheep farming possible. Innes Elliott of Kaikōura modelled the dog, and it was cast in England. You can visit at any time, free of charge.

Mount John summit

Mount John (Ōtehīwai) rises to 1,029 m above the western shore, topped by the University of Canterbury observatory. From the summit you look over the lake, the Mackenzie Basin and the Southern Alps. The private access road off Godley Peaks Road opens with the Astro Café from 9am to 4pm and closes in bad weather. Each vehicle pays NZ$14. The full lakeshore loop on foot takes about 3 hours.

Dark Sky Project base

On Motuariki Lane by the lake, the Dark Sky Project base hosts the indoor Dark Sky Experience. It mixes Māori star knowledge and science and includes a restored Brashear telescope. Sessions run at 10:30, 12:30 and 2:30, and adult entry is about NZ$59. The Dark Sky Diner in the same building is open all day.

Lake Pukaki and Peter’s Lookout

The Pūkaki visitor centre is about 35 to 40 minutes west on State Highway 8, and the Mt Cook Alpine Salmon shop is there. Peter’s Lookout is about 13 km up State Highway 80 from the junction. Allow 45 to 50 minutes from Tekapo for the view along the lake to Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Lupins

Russell lupins colour the lakefront from late November into December. They are a declared pest plant in Canterbury, and the Department of Conservation removes them from braided riverbeds, where they damage the nesting grounds of native birds. Photograph them from the paths.

Tips

  • For softer light on the church, go in the first or last hour the grounds are open.
  • Sightseeing at night means a guided tour or the open lakeshore, not the church grounds.

Read more: stargazing and scenic flights at Lake Tekapo and walking around Lake Tekapo .

Book a guided outing: Lake Tekapo sightseeing tours .