My favourite place we’ve visited in New Zealand so far is Lake Tekapo. From the amazingly blue lake to the spectacular night sky, it truly is a really special place.
The lake is a milky blue colour from all the sediment that was churned up when a glacier melted to create the lake. The water temperature is an average 8-10C, so it’s not one for swimming in, well not for me.
Lake Tekapo has been given World Heritage Status for it’s night sky, which I thought was odd before we arrived. However when you look up at the night sky, it’s just literally out of this world. With Lake Tekapo being some 700m above sea level and with minimal to no light pollution, you are left with a canvas of stars to enjoy. The night sky is so special that one of the main observatories in the world is situated on Mount John overlooking the lake for even better views.
I had fun taking photographs to capture the place and these are some of my favourites
First glimpse of the lake, which shows how blue it is.
The tiny church of good Shepherd, perched by the amazing lake.
Our ‘Cairn’ at the top of Mt John.
Sun setting over the lake capturing the last rays on the hills in the distance before the night sky is lit up with the stars.
The amazing evening sky providing a great backdrop for the church.
Close up of the magical lake water as the light fades for the day.
The observatory by day at over 1000m.
From the observatory by night, the Southern Cross taken by me with the help of an expert astro-photographer.
This is what you are looking at. The Southern Cross is made up of four stars which are the same four starts that appear on the New Zealand flag. The two stars, alpha and beta Centauri are very bright in the night sky and are used as the pointers to identify the Southern Cross.
The clouds of Magellan taken from the observatory - just look for what look like clouds. They are actually other galaxies within the universe.
One from our motel of the Milky Way, our galaxy.
One final one of my favourite view in New Zealand from the top of Mount John.
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