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About Lake Tekapo
The Difficulty Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (the walk to Mt. John)
Lake Tekapo is such a famous scenic spot in South Island that I do not need to introduce it as there has been heaps of information available. It is a must-see location if you are on the way to Mount Cook Village from Christchurch. No matter you will stay in Lake Tekapo for a night or not, it is probably the first stop you will linger after leaving Canterbury Plain.
The first time my partner and I visited it was in 2014 during our first trip in NZ. The first sight of the lake was its surreal milky blue (or turquoise) water. This color is from the suspended “rock flour”, produced by hard rock grinding against each other in the upstream glaciers, the source feeding Lake Tekapo. Like many long lakes in South Island, this is a glacial lake which formed after the retreating glacier that dug out a valley.
You may find the color of Lake Pūkaki, Lake Wānaka and Lake Wakatipu all share the similar tone. Anyway none of the glacial lake of this scale that ever existed in Taiwan. This 30-km long, gorgeous lake was truly an eye-opener to us.
Besides the lake, no body would miss The Church of the Good Shepherd and The Sheepdog Memorial. But probably only some of the visitors here would go to Mt. John, which is the hill to the northwest of the township. The hill stands by the lake’s southwestern corner, offering the fantastic view. On the top of Mt. John are the observatory and a cafe. Even you are not interested in stargazing, a short walk to the top along the track is rewarding.
It is one the most photographed buildings in New Zealand. This simple and graceful church open in 1935 and is still running.
