Lake Tekapo

Observatory and Church of the Good Shepherd

Gazing into the clear night skies above Tekapo's Mount John Observatory and trying to count all the stars is surely one of life's impossibilities!

The star-studded night sky of Mount John, on the shores of Lake Tekapo, was selected as the ideal site for an observatory due to the clarity of the skies above Tekapo and the Mackenzie Basin.

Today the observatory is internationally renowned and the Mount John Observatory is also one of the most beautifully situated observatories in the world.

Surrounded by glacial lakes, moraine and the Southern Alps, the observatory offers incredible 360 degree views of the surrounding countryside.

Visitors are welcome to take an educational tour of the observatory, or join a nightly star-gazing tour. The tours use telescopes, binoculars and the naked eye to enjoy such sights as the Milky Way Galaxy, the Southern Cross, Alpha-Centauri and Sirius - the brightest star in our sky.

By day, the incredible turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo and its nearby neighbour, Lake Pukaki, are awe-inspiring. The intense turquoise colour is caused by 'rock flour' (dust ground from rocks in the glacier's headwaters).

Watching over Lake Tekapo, framed by colourful lupins and a stony beach, is the Church of the Good Shepherd, built in memory of the pioneers of the Mackenzie area.