Exploring Lake Tekapo

5 August 2021

We had been expecting it to snow today so it was a pleasant surprise to see the sun come up over the mountains, even if struggling to peak through the clouds. Our holiday home was positioned on a hill looking out over Lake Tekapo and we indulged in having our morning cuppa enjoying the view whilst trying to decide what to do for the day. It was still very cold (0C plus wind chill) and the ever-changing clouds gave the day a very moody feel to it.

We decided to head down to Jack Rabbit Cafe for breakfast and scored ourselves a table with a view over the lake (and carpark). Delicious but enormous meals! Suitably fortified we explore the Tekapo village area, which has a rather confusing network of little roads (some one way) set back from the main highway.

At the far end tucked under Mt John (where the observatory is) is Tekapo Hot Springs. It is noticeably cooler here and we have to put on gloves when we get out of the car to take photos. Tekapo Springs is a veritable hub of activities as it not only has the hot pools but also an ice-skating rink, a snow-covered slope for tubing, and a day spa. It is closed when we visit but we know it will be open later for our ‘Soak in the Stars’ stargazing experience. Whilst they use snow-making machines for the tubing slope, we were very surprised to see snow coating the rocks in the carpark and ice on the carpark roads – it is definitely a very cold spot.

We head back towards the main village stopping every few minutes to take more photos: the clouds are moving and changing really fast and the moody light means that we keep seeing ‘new’ must-take views of the lake and surrounding mountains. We park by the footbridge and walk across to the Church of the Good Shepherd (which must be one of the most photographed places in NZ) and the Sheepdog Memorial. Many more photographs are taken as we walk all around the lakeshore there. It is then time for a mooch around the shopping area and we talk to several bored shop assistants in the souvenir shops along the way. The Greedy Cow Cafe beckons us for a much needed hot chocolate to warm up.

The weather is staying reasonably constant (cold and cloudy) so we decide to take a drive around the eastern side of the lake as far as the road will take us. It is only about 40km but the road is unsealed and has so many scenic viewpoints and photo opportunities that it takes us the whole afternoon to explore. Although the area is beautiful at any time of year, we are very glad to be experiencing it in winter as the snow-covered mountains give it a different dimension. Being from Auckland, we enjoy the novelty of having snow all around. We head all the way to the Macauley River crossing at the Lilybank Station and on the way back have a side trip up to the Roundhill Ski Area where there were a lot of people enjoying the slopes.

That evening we have our ‘Soak in the Stars’ experience at 8.30 so we head for an early dinner at Kohan Japanese Restaurant. Tekapo Springs is lit up with fairy lights all along the paths when we get there (and the snow in the car park has melted away). Very soon though all the white lights are turned off and replaced with red lights to acclimatise our eyes to the night sky. It is too cloudy for the outdoor viewing at the beginning so we have an indoor virtual reality introduction to the night skies. Thankfully the skies clear by the time we head to the hot pools so we are able to lie back in our floating hammocks and look up at the stars while our guide tells us stories about the night sky.

For more information on stargazing in Tekapo see my previous post.