From Wikitravel

Lake Tekapo is a lakeside resort village in the Mackenzie Country in the South Island of New Zealand. It gets its name from Lake Tekapo, one of the Southern Lakes in the Southern Alps.

[edit] Understand

Surrounded by mountains and far from the glare of city lights, Lake Tekapo's cloud free skys make it the best place in the Southern Hemisphere to see the night's sky. Local light-pollution laws require all exterior night-time lighting to shine down onto the ground, rather than into the sky. World heritage status is currently being sought for the area as the world's first starlight preservation area.

[edit] Get in

It is about 60km by road, north of Twizel on State Highway 8, the Central Southern Alps Highway, three hours south of Christchurch and three hours north of Queenstown.

[edit] Get around

Public bus services to and from Lake Tekapo:

[edit][add listing] See

• Church of the Good Shepherd - With an amazing view straight up the lake.

• Mount John Observatory -

• Parkbrae Estate - Walk or guided tours through beautiful private gardens - opposite Church. [www.parkbrae.co.nz]

[edit][add listing] Do

• Tekapo High Country Trek - 3-day guided alpine walk in the foothills of the Southern Alps, overlooking Lake Tekapo. climb@alpinerecreation.com or phone +64 3 680 6736.[1]

• Backcountry Ski Touring 2-5 days based at hut above snowline, touring the valleys, ridges and basins of the Two Thumb Range. [2]

• Alpure Peaks Snowcat and Backcountry Adventures Guided Ski and Snowboard day tours in the Two Thumb Range [3]

• Earth & Sky Star Gazing Observe the southern stars at one of the clearest locations in the Southern Hemisphere. [4] or phone +64 3 680 6960

• Air Safaris Scenic Flights Fly over New Zealand's highest mountains and most spectacular alpine scenery. [5] Phone 0800 806 880

• Fishing Safaris [6] Phone +64 3 680 6516

• Hunting Safaris [7] Phone +64 3 680 6774; [8].

• Mountain Biking [9]

• Skiing Ski Roundhill [10]; Mt. Dobson [11]

• Ice Skating, Ice Hockey, Curling Phone +63 3 680 6550

• Day trips to Mount Cook [12]

• Golf Mackenzie Golf Club Phone +64 3 680 6830; Golf Cross Phone +64 3 680 6844; Minigolf, phone +64 3 680 6745

• Horse Trekking [13] Phone 0800 628 269

• Kayaking tuss-tarn@xtra.co.nz Phone 0800 840 740; alpinelakes@xtra.co.nz.

• Salmon Farm Tours [14] Phone +64 3 435 0085

• 4WD Excursions Glenmore Tours [15] Phone +64 3 680 6844

• Lake Tekapo Squash Club Phone +64 3 680 6739

• Tekapo Helicopters [16] Phone +64 3 680 6229

have a chill by the lake and take in the splendour of one of the most beautiful places you'll ever visit.

• Earth & Sky Observatory Tours, (Beside the Godley Hotel - opposite Caltex), ☎ +64 3 6806960, [17]. 10 am - late. Come on an Earth & Sky tour at one of either two observatories - the famous Mt John Observatory (a research station run by the University of Canterbury, now also hosting night tours and a stunning cafe) or our smaller, more private observatory nearby at Cowan's Hill. On clear nights we can show you the wonders of the night sky. If it's cloudy, come and see areas of the observatory normally closed to the public, and learn about the scientific work done here. The stargazing tours are rapidly becoming one of the "must-do" activities for people coming to the South Island - both for locals and tourists alike. The weather is changeable here, so perhaps stay a few days to make sure you get a clear sky. To see the most stars, avoid the full moon: between five days after full moon and ten days before it will give the darkest skies. Check our website for more details!  edit

• Tekapo Springs, 6 Lakeside Drive, ☎ +64 03 6806 550, [18]. The Tekapo Springs complex includes a complex containing three inviting hot pools with bench-side seating, private nooks and crannies, and massage jets. The temperature of the pools ranges from 36 to 40 degrees Celsius. Next to the pools is a sauna and steam room. Four fully-functional spa rooms provide massages, facials, pedicures, manicures and total body care, and each treatment booked gives complimentary access to the sauna and steam room. In addition, there is an ice rink, that is converted for inline or roller skating during spring and summer. Finally, there is also a snow park that provides an ice ramp used with inflatable tubes. This operates as a Summer Tube over the warmer months on artificial matting.  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Alpine Haven - Wide range of quality New Zealand products and souvenirs +64 3 680 6656

• High Country Crafts - Good value New Zealand gifts +64 3 680 6905

• Kiwi Treasures and Information Centre - Popular gifts and souvenirs, postcards +64 3 680 6686

• Lake Tekapo Post Centre - Fishing licences and tackle also +64 3 680 6861

• Run 79 - Icebreaker, merino clothing, art. [19] +64 3 680 6900

• Tekapo Services - Supermarket and fuel +64 3 680 6809

• Caltex Petrol Station - Snow chains, motor accessories +64 3 680 6933

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Jade Palace Chinese Restaurant +64 3 680 6828

• Kohan Japanese Restaurant +64 3 680 6688

• Observatory Cafe +64 3 680 6886

• Pepe's Pizza & Pasta +64 3 680 6886

• Reflections Cafe & Restaurant +64 3 680 6234

• The Godley Resort Hotel +64 3 680 6848

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Astro Cafe, Mt John Observatory (drive along Godley Peaks Rd (off the highway, just south of Tekapo Village) until you come to the gate), [20]. 9am - 6pm (summer) or 10am to 5pm (winter). *** Described in Lonely Planet as "possibly the best place on the planet for a coffee". *** Stunning views, lovely walks, and delicious coffee and food! If you're lucky, you may catch an astronomer floating about to give you a short tour of the observatory, or perhaps show you a star (or the sun!) in the daytime through special telescopes. Drive time from Tekapo is only 15 minutes, or you can walk up, starting by Alpine Springs Hot Pools (walks take between 45 mins to 1.5 hours each way). This is definitely a spot not to be missed. Please note that the road is closed outside of cafe operating hours to protect the Observatory, so check the opening times first! Being up so high (1,000 metres above sea level) we occasionally need to close the road due to high winds or snow. Note, the narrow road cannot carry vehicles larger than 22-seater buses, and as the observatory is private-lease land, any commercial / tourist ventures must get permission from Earth & Sky before coming up.  edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Motel and Hotel

• Lake Tekapo Scenic Resort [21] +64 3 680 6808

• Lake Tekapo Motels & Holiday Park [22] +64 3 680 6825

• Parkhead Motels [antonines@xtra.co.nz] +64 3 680 6868

• The Chalet Boutique Motel [23] +64 3 680 6774

• The Godley Resort Hotel [24] +64 3 680 6848

• Parkbrae Estate [25] +64 +64 3 680 6780

Parkbrae Estate provides a selection of quality cottages and apartments to suit a variety of tastes and budgets. Full of character, and very close to the Lake, shops, and Church of the Good Shepherd.

[edit] Bed and Breakfast

• Alpine Vista B&B [26] +64 3 680 6702

• Creel House B&B [27] +64 3 680 6516

• Freda Du Faur House B&B [28] +64 3 680 6513

• Lake Tekapo Grandview [29] +64 3 680 6910

• Lake Tekapo Luxury Lodge [30] +64 3 680 6566

• Lakeview B&B [31] +64 3 680 6673

• Tekapo Moonlight B&B [32] +64 3 680 6514

Moonlight B&B offers a beautiful view over the lake and the church while you enjoy your breakfast. The ground floor has three rooms and a lounge. The garden is relaxing.

• Tekapo House B&B [33] +64 3 680 6607

Tekapo House B&B also offers over 30 self-contained holiday homes, many with breathtaking views of the lake and mountain range. These holiday homes are fully equipped with amenities.

[edit] Backpacker

• Lakefront Lodge Backpackers +64 3 680 6740

• Tailor-Made Tekapo Backpackers [34] +64 3 680 6700

• YHA [35] +64 3 680 6857

[edit] Get out

• Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is about 100km by road to the west.

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