Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
urch ($30, 2½ hours), Geraldine ($20, 35 minutes), Lake Tekapo ($20, 40 minutes),
Cromwell ($35, 3¾ hours) and Queenstown ($35, 4½ hours).
(from $34, 3¼ hours), Lake Tekapo (from $13, 35 minutes), Mt Cook (from $30, 2½
hours), Cromwell (from $39, four hours) and Queenstown (from $40, five hours).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Lake Tekapo
POP 369
At the southern end of its namesake lake, this little town has unobstructed views across
turquoise water to a backdrop of rolling hills and snowcapped mountains. It's a popular
stop for tour groups, with buses bound for Mt Cook and Queenstown allowing passen-
gers to pop out for a quick ice cream, coffee and photo opportunity.
Rather than rushing on, it's worth staying to experience the region's glorious night sky
from atop nearby Mt John. In 2012 the Aoraki Mackenzie area was declared an Interna-
tional Dark Sky Reserve, one of only five in the world.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
BLUE CRUSH
The blazing turquoise colour of Lake Tekapo, a characteristic it shares with others
nearby such as Lake Pukaki, is due to sediment in the water. Known as 'rock flour',
it was created when the lake's basin was gouged out by a stony-bottomed glacier
moving across the land's surface, with the rock-on-rock action grinding out fine
particles that ended up being suspended in the glacial melt water. This sediment
gives the water a milky quality and refracts the sunlight beaming down, hence the
brilliant colour.
Sights & Activities
When the Mackenzie Basin was scoured out by glaciers,
Mt John
(1029m) remained as
an island of tough bedrock in the centre of a vast river of ice. A road leads to the summit,
or you can walk via a circuit track (2½ hours return). To extend it to an all-day walk,
continue on to Alexandrina and McGregor Lakes. Other walks are detailed in free maps
available around town.
