We departed Christchurch in the morning and drove over 200km to Lake Tekapo, where we would spend the day and night. Lake Tekapo in the South Island of New Zealand is probably my favourite little small town.
The town is name after the famous Lake Tekapo. It’s a small town of under 400 residents but during the busy tourist season the town’s population balloons, making it hard to find accommodation in town. We were fortunate to find a nice modern bed and breakfast lodge in town ran by a lovely couple.
The town is actually famous for a few things, in addition to being a picturesque and quaint town. Lake Tekapo is part of a UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve, making it the perfect spot for stargazing. It is also the location of Mount John University Observatory. You can join in on night tour to do some start gazing at the observatory.
As we only had one night at Lake Tekapo, we didn’t end up joining the tour. Instead we went to visit another famous landmark in tour. The iconic Church of the Good Sheppard. The little church has been photographed countless of times and I also wanted my own version of the shot. And also to practice my astrophotography on what was back them my brand new Fujifilm X-T10 with the 18-55mm lens.
After checking into our accommodation and having a quick chat with the owners, they suggested we head out of Mount John University Observatory for a great view of the town and surrounding area. We drove up a whiny road and paid the entrance fee to enter the observatory grounds. After admiring the amazing view of the vast Lake Tekapo and the township, we decided to do the Tekapo Walkway, which is a easy walking loop around the observatory. It gave us a picturesque 360 view of Lake Tekapo.
After the observatory, we drove back into town to check out the Church of the Good Sheppard in the beautiful afternoon light. The church and the shore of the lake was crowded with tourists and photographers alike. The church was built in 1935 to commemorate the early settlers.
As the light disappeared it was time for us to head to the small strip of shops to find ourselves some dinner. We ended up at a steak and grill restaurant as a bit of a treat. After dinner, we headed back to our accommodation to pick up my tripod as well as layered up for the cold night.
At night, Lake Tekapo truly has a dark sky and you could see the stars so clearly at night. It was quite a sight to see with your own two eyes. We drove back to the Church of the Good Sheppard and was surprised to find the huge number of photographers all photographing the church against the night sky/milky way. I managed to get my own image of the iconic location at night. It was one of my first times doing astrophotography so it wasn’t too bad an attempt for a first!
That finishes up our day in Lake Tekapo. Thanks for stopping by today.
Your friend, Janice
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