When I first heard of this lake, I was told it was called lake take-a-poo. I had been pronouncing this place as such for a while and like the adult I am, enjoyed the name very much. Unfortunately, its pronounced lake -teck-a-po, with one o at the end as spelled. I think I will always remember this lake now. The lake itself on a july afternoon was very pretty. Still, serene, freezing, and blue. Perhaps summer is when the turquoise I'm reading about takes hold. I like how easy it is to walk right up to the lake. If it weren't so cold out I would have probably enjoyed the view a bit longer. We walked along the lake and to the dog statue as well. Saw the church of the good shepherd which is a tiny tiny building. Taking photos from my iphone didn't do the scenery justice so I ended up putting away my phone and just soaking up the view. I've seen some beautiful scenic lakes and mountains in my life and I didn't think this was a 5 star view. I'm sure its more breathtaking in the spring and summer when the flowers are out and the water is turquoise, but its not as nice as I was hoping it would be. read more

Lake Tekapo was one of our stops in our drive from Queenstown to Christchurch, and I wish we stayed more than one night as this place was beautiful and magical. A snowstorm was coming, and did not want to be trapped or delayed by road closures. It's about a 3 hour drive from Queenstown, which was an amazing drive! This is a small town with a small city centre with limited options, but you're here for the amazing scenery of the snow-capped mountain range behind the everchanging, various shade of blue lake. It's bright and turquoise during the day that changes to teal later on in the day. The water is very clear, clean, and crispy. There are other places to visit such as the Church of the Good Shepard that's right beside the lake; the Mt. John Observatory, which is weather dependent (road going up can be closed due to wet or snowy conditions); the Tekapo hot springs; regional park; shoreline beaches, and etc. Remember to take the foot bridge that goes over the lake between the Church and city centre. Overall, Lake Tekapo is an amazing and relaxing place! I will definitely come back next time to New Zealand. All the people we encountered were so nice and friendly. The town is small, and places do close a little earlier than what you may be used to if you don't live here, and has everything you need and different cuisines to choose from. read more

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Lake Tekapo for the lake but make sure you sniff. Lake Tekapo is teal, glowing as if lit from underneath. The air is perfumed with the scent of wildflowers, their fragrance stronger than anything you'd find at a Saks perfume counter. The lupins seem to bloom just for you. Beautiful landscape! read more

Lake Tekapo - Lakes Near Me - Lake Tekapo, CAN

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An absolute must-see while in New Zealand! We stayed a few days in the Lake Tekapo area towards the end of our trip, and this area is magical. The lake itself is stunning, with bright blue waters surrounded by looming mountains. During the right season, you'll see the famous purple flowers (actually weeds, who knew haha) that line the field leading up to the lake's shores. The area around Lake Tekapo is darling too, with an iconic and picturesque old church, the Dark Sky Project, and a small town. It's pure magic walking down the path through the prairie grasses and flowers to the water's edge here. read more

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Do you not pass by this little town in central south island New Zealand. There's so much more here than meets the eye. The lake itself is wonderful and a beautiful spot to have a picnic or enjoy the affordable and delicious toasties from Jack Rabbit Cafe (great ambiance a kid friendly). Please sites to see in walking around and headed to be smart beautiful bridge. There's free parking for the public perhaps what is the reason thing that I divide is there was pay for a tour of the observatory at the mount cook/McKenzie international dark sky reserve. The toys are absolutely incredible and you get to take advantage of clear, caste museum size. You're only spending time is found in the day you're really missing out, I saw the southern lights and so many shooting stars while I was there, a great place with stargazing and experiencing the world renowned observatory. read more

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You will fall in love. I visited Lake Tekapo towards the end of October, with ice tipped mountains in the back and clear blue water. It will take your breath away. Waking up to this view is a dream. The town itself is small but charming, with a few decent restaurants and shops. An hour drive to Mt. Cook, pretty awesome. read more

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I lived in New Zealand for a little over a year and this was really one of my favorite places I visited. It's beautiful, peaceful, relaxing. The water is so blue and clear. Feels like life stops for awhile when you're here. This was the first place outside of Christchurch that I came to see. It's about 2 hours drive out from Christchurch and the drive there is also pretty. Lots of open fields and open roads, I don't get any of the open roads in California so that was nice! And in the spring time Lake Tekapo gets these Lupin flowers that grow all around the island. Pink, purple blue, they're everywhere! It's a perfect aesthetic picture spot ladies haha. And there's a small little church next to it that is actually still functional. A nice photo spot. Best part of this place though? You can see the "southern lights"! It's the same as the northern lights you've probably heard of, bright pink, green and purple lights in the sky at night and you can see with your eyes. It's not always around but you can download an app that will let you look it up to see when it's the best time to see. I also wanted to use this review to talk a little bit about New Zealand and living here. Honestly, it was the best year of my life! Life was so simple living here. I met so many amazing people throughout my trip from all over the world. I traveled to so many amazing spots. Worked random jobs I would never expect like, working on a farm, working at an apple orchard, working at a Cafe. It felt good to get away from the big city life. I lived a walk down the street from the beach. Empty roads when going on road trips, always some pretty nature to see. And everyone here was so kind. And one of the good things about NZ is there isn't any crazy giant spiders like in Australia haha. And no NZ doesn't have any kangaroos! That's also an Australia thing, was kinda disappointed about this one lol. Living in another country for awhile is such a unique experience that you should try if you have the opportunity to do it. And not even living in a country.. a vacation is nice, getting out of your country and out of your comfort zone is fun. If I never took any risk with my life I probably would never have seen this beautiful lake and beautiful country! When covid passes by(it will) go take a trip somewhere special. Do more traveling, life is too short to be stuck in a boring routine all the time! read more

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Lake Tekapo is a truly beautiful lake. It backs up to the Southern Alps, so when you look at it, not only do you see a stunningly blue lake, you see it with mountains behind it. It's right off the main road too, so you can spend 5 minutes or 2 hours here. It's up to you. But if you are passing through this area, stopping here is a must. read more

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In A Nutshell: -Lake Tekapo is one of the bluest, most serene bodies of water I've ever seen. -And yes, I've seen MANY bodies of water in my life. -Coming here in New Zealand's Spring 2017, you can see the melting snow off the mountainous horizon, which gradually flows into this lake. -Glacier water is what New Zealanders call it. -I joked and asked if their tap water comes out blue too. -A definite MUST-SEE. Overall, Lake Tekapo is one of many blue, blue BLUE lakes you'll see while you drive along the northern side of the South Island. read more

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Beautiful, stunning, magnificent, gorgeous, I wish I was a bigger book worm so that I could describe this place with more words!! Whenever I think of New Zealand, I think of spectacular nature and this Lake Tekapo is one of the great examples of it. I just walked along the lake shore and there's a challenging hill by the lake which took me almost an hour to get to the summit. The view from there is absolutely spectacular. But it was sooooo windy!!! Snowy mountain reflecting on panoramic lake. I was just amazed that this view doesn't only exist in Bob Ross' imagination. It exists in New Zealand. Unreal. read more

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One of the best places to be! If you are looking for excitement like bungy or rafting or jet boating, this is not the place. If you love nature, serenity, and a quiet village, you will love Tekapo. It's on the way from Christchurch to Queenstown, so make sure you plan a stop to soak up this place. You could spend just 45 minutes to take a snap of the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd and the lake. But I would recommend stopping for longer. Enjoy a stroll around the lake, go to the Mt John Observatory (Astro Cafe) to see the panorama of the whole Lake Tekapo. While you are up there, have their carrot cake and coffee. For lunch or dinner, stop by Kohan Japanese restaurant for the freshest and most delicious salmon ever! Great value for money too. At night, stop over to the outdoor hot springs. A little pricy, but you will not regret it And if you are here in summer, you are in luck, as the lupins are absolutely beautiful, see my photos! On your way out of here, go to a Salmon, any around Twizel are good. However, for the best salmon sashimis, you have to go to the Mt Cook Alpine Salmon! Again, pricy, but it will be the best ever and freshes salmon you have ever tasted. This salmon will convert non sashimi eaters, as it did for my wife and even my then 3yo daughter! She is so hooked on salmon now! read more

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Good food in small town. Surprisingly quite a selection to choose from and very tasty.

i cant stop giving 5 star ratings to NZ tourist places . what to do this place is so so so beautiful, every moment i thank my instinct to choose nz as my travel destination over other places in my mind . I have never seen lakes in my mind more beautiful , than the ones i saw in nz. totatlly mesmerizing . This is lake is 2nd largest of the 3 lakes in south island , MacKenzie Basin. other 2 are Pukaki and Oahu. for my Indian friends " Kaho na pyaar hai " a super hit bollywood movie , various famous scenes were shot right at this point . So many colorful flowers skirting the lake, the blue lake and the snow white Southern Alps serving as its perfect backdrop; it was a feast to the eyes! near to it , is church of good shepard , the most photographed church in southern hemispher on earth.Near to the Church is the acclaimed statue of a New Zealand Collie sheepdog. The significance of this statue was to recognize the vital role in grazing of mountain country. Lake Tekapo, no matter what time of the day it is, makes very photographer's dream a reality with its stunning beauty. read more

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I love turquoise blue lakes! Well, who doesn't, right?! With the Southern Alps spanning across the South Island, New Zealand has no shortage of lakes. Every lake in New Zealand (not that I've explored ALL the lakes) is unique and breathtaking in its own unique way. However, the two lakes that really stood out for me are Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki in the MacKenzie Basin. When I first saw these two lakes, I couldn't get my eyes off of them and to this day, the views appear fresh in memory and still linger around in my eyesight every so often. The first time I saw Lake Tekapo was in a travel documentary and I was stunned by its beauty. Needless to say, we planned a visit to Lake Tekapo while planning the New Zealand trip. When I saw the lake in person, it was better than what I had seen in the video; beyond what I had imagined. The colorful flowers skirting the lake, the blue color lake and the snow white color Southern Alps serving as its perfect backdrop; it was a feast to the eyes! The Church of the Good Shepherd, which was built in 1935 and situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo is the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. It is unequivocally one of the most photographed locations in New Zealand. The church is still active with service on every Sunday. It is also a very popular spot to see the Milky Way galaxy in the middle of the night. Close to the Church of the Good Shepherd is the acclaimed statue of a New Zealand Collie sheepdog. The significance of this statue was to recognize the vital role in grazing of mountain country. Lake Tekapo, no matter what time of the day it is, makes very photographer's dream a reality with its stunning beauty. If you are craving for an aerial view of this splendid lake (and I know you will), take a short 15-20 min up the hills to Mt. John Observatory. You will not only be greeted by breathtaking views of Lake Tekapo, but you'll also be pleasantly surprised by the views of Lake Alexandrina. While driving up the mountain to the observatory, it is very tempting to stop on the way to click pictures, but continue your way up. Much much better views are waiting for you from the summit. If you are interested in night photography, take your cameras and tripod and head over to the Church of the Good Shepherd. You won't be alone; there's always a gaggle of photographers clicking thousands and thousands of picture, hoping to capture that perfect shot. Just be sure to take your flash lights with you On a different yet related note (for foodies), while you are in Lake Tekapo, check out Run 77 for brekkie and MacKenzie Bar and Grill for dinner. They serve some of the most delicious food! My review of Run 77: http://www.yelp.com/biz/run-77-cafe-lake-tekapo?hrid=W-uPB5LqwZnk-8J9C3yoKg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) My review of Mackenzie's Bar And Grill: http://www.yelp.com/biz/mackenzies-bar-and-grill-no-title?hrid=YzQpADhTbeSpaBzQhZ48lg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) read more

A photographer's dream spot. You will find photographers of all skill level here, especially in the early morning and right at dusk. Lake Tekapo is so picturesque. The view is just stunning - glassy lake, snowy mountains, and the Church of the Good Shepherd is a great focal point. Come here on a clear night, and you will have front row access to the most beautiful light show in the sky. When the conditions are just right, you can see the Southern Lights dancing through the sky. It's a great spot to see the Milky Way too. Truly an amazing spot and highly recommended. read more