Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and venison from the owner's high-country spread (the
real
Run 77). Soups, salads and
anitipasto platters tick both the healthy and tasty boxes.
Mackenzie's Bar & Grill
(SH8; lunch $15-20, dinner $22-34; 11.30am-late Mon-Fri, 10am-late Sat & Sun)
Serving up interesting
spins on steak, chicken and seafood, everything at Mackenzie's comes with a side order of
stellar lake and mountain views. Robust dishes like lamb shanks and Aoraki salmon are
the perfect answer to an active day's adventuring.
PUB
$$
DON'T MISS
LAKE PUKAKI LOOKOUT
Continuing on SH8 from Lake Tekapo, after 39km the even larger Lake Pukaki comes into view. There's a reason
why every tourist bus pulls up at the lookout, about 8km further along. On a clear day it offers a picture-perfect
view over the weirdly blue lake to Aoraki/Mt Cook and its surrounding peaks.
Beside the lookout, the
Lake Pukaki Information Centre
(
www.mtcookalpinesalmon.com
; SH8;
8.30am-6pm) is actually an outpost of Mt Cook Alpine Salmon, the highest salmon farm on the planet. The actual
farm operates in a hydroelectric canal system on the eastern edge of the lake. It's currently not open for visitors,
so drop into the information centre and grab some sashimi ($10) or stock up for a fishy dinner.
Information
Tekapo Springs Sales & Information Centre
( 03-680 6579; SH8; 10am-6pm)
Since the i-SITE
closed, the folks from Tekapo Springs have filled the gap, dispensing brochures and ad-
vice. The only bookings they take are for their own complex though.
Getting There & Away
Atomic Shuttles
( 03-349 0697;
www.atomictravel.co.nz
)
Daily buses to/from Christchurch ($30, 3¼
hours), Geraldine ($20, 1¼ hours), Twizel ($20, 40 minutes), Cromwell ($30, three hours)
and Queenstown ($30, 3¾ hours).
0800 266 526;
www.cookconnect.co.nz
)
Shuttle service to Mt Cook ($35, 1½
Cook Connection
(
hours).
InterCity
( 03-365 1113;
www.intercity.co.nz
)
Daily coaches head to/from Christchurch (from
$36, 3¾ hours), Geraldine (from $21, 1¼ hours), Mt Cook (from $30, 1½ hours), Crom-
well (from $36, 2¾ hours) and Queenstown (from $36, 4¾ hours).
TOP OF CHAPTER
