Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo is one of those places in New Zealand that is instantly recognizable but few know its name. Bright blue with clear water surrounded by pink and purple lupines in the summer, it’s the perfect background for these blooming flowers. A perfect holiday destination, there are heaps of treks, walks, and lake activities to participate in while visiting. There are even scenic flights over the lake that show the surrounding mountains.

As if New Zealand couldn’t be more picturesque, in the summertime (roughly December through February), the South Island is covered with incredible pink and purple lupines. The best place to see the fields of lupines are around Lake Tekapo in the South Island, though I’ve seen them in different areas all the way to the Milford Sound. Just be careful and pull completely off the road or in a designated pull-off area before taking photos.

Having just returned from one of New Zealand‘s more glorious lakes I just had to share the view that greeted us every morning. Deep red reflections, warmly hued rocks and parting clouds signalled that yet another stunning South Island day was on its way.

Lake Tekapo is a sweet little slice of heaven, and a paradise you’ll have all to your own, should you visit outside the high season. The glacial waters running out of the Southern Alps are every bit as mesmerizing as they are refreshing - which is good, since I was knee-deep in the frigid water for half on hour while working on this image. It was nice to have a distraction. I made this image with the help of a dirty black sock - I held the sock over the top half of the frame, where the sun was brightest, allowing me to capture an even exposure throughout. Cheapest piece of gear I’ve ever bought.

This is as close to the stars as you can get with your feet planted on the ground. This is Lake Tekapo. Originally we were only going to do one night of star gazing at Lake Tekapo. That turned into two nights, then three, then four. In the end it would have felt strange to try and go to bed without first stepping out into the cold glacial waters of the lake to watch the stars bounce off the surface of the water. We visited in Late September, and it felt like we had the entire universe to ourselves when we went hiking in the badlands. I probably think about this place more than anywhere else on earth I’ve ever been. I plan on launching Starship Tekapo again someday. Geek Note: This is a single exposure. My shutter was open for 650 seconds (and the camera needed another 650 seconds to cool down afterwards).

I had been traveling the South Island of New Zealand for 2 weeks with the Magic Bus and this was one of my last stops. The reason I decided to do the flight over Lake Tekapo & Mt. Cook was because my helicopter tour of Franz Josef including the glacier hike was cancelled due to a severe rain storm. My dreams of walking on a glacier on New Year’s Day were shattered but this flight more than made up for it. It was an hour long tour that took us over Lake Tekapo, out to Mt Cook and over the Franz Josef glacier. I have incredible photos documenting the trip and it’ll be a part of New Zealand that I will never forget because the colours were so defined. Make sure you stop here on your tour of the South Island - you won’t be disappointed.