Tekapo & Aoraki (Mt Cook) Travel Guide + NZ's BEST Airbnb?
#TravelWell in Tekapo and Aoraki/Mt Cook with this travel guide! We spent a few days checking out the region including the Hooker Valley Track, visiting hidden spots like the Omarama Clay Cliffs + the BEST Airbnb accommodation complete with a tub under the stars. Here’s a look at some of the best spots to visit and, hopefully, a whole lot of inspiration to add it to your New Zealand road trip. Would you visit Tekapo and Aoraki? Let us know in the comments!
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Lake Tekapo - New Zealand
Lake Tekapo is an incredible place to visit. It's located on the South Island of New Zealand, and is surrounded by amazing mountainous landscapes. It's also part of the gold level status Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, which means it has some of the darkest night skies in the world, and is a perfect place for stargazing and to see our own Milky Way Galaxy.
Each year I travel to Lake Tekapo to explore the area and find new and interesting locations to photograph and time-lapse, and this short film is a collection of some of my favourite time-lapses from the area.
A big thanks goes out to Earth and Sky and the University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory for allowing me access to Mount John at night.
The Road to Aoraki/Mt Cook (New Zealand's highest mountain) | Including the Clay Cliffs & Tekapo
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Join us for this epic adventure over a year in the making!
In this episode we take a guided journey to New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook. We visit iconic sites along the way including the clay cliffs before undertaking one of the most scenic drives on earth!
In the Aoraki/Mt Cook national park we hike the famous scenic Hooker Valley Track, take a Ski Plane and Helicopter flight via the peak of the mountain landing on the Tasman Glacier (New Zealand's largest), before finishing up at the famous turquoise Lake Tekapo and hiking above the lake to the Mount John Observatory. All done in our Vlogumentary style.
Chapters:
Introduction 0:00
The road to Mount Cook/Clay Cliffs 0:30
We depart from Queenstown New Zealand via the Kawarau Gorge, Lake Dunstan and the highest point of the national highway at the scenic Lindis Pass. Here we cross into the region of Canterbury during Lupin season, visiting the Clay Cliffs of Omarama and learn about their geological past. From here we continue via the High Country Salmon Farm and the Mt Cook Lavender Farm on the road to Mount Cook, learning about the Moari legend of Lake Pukaki.
The Hooker Valley Track & the Legend of Aoraki 5:00
We undertake one of the most popular trails in New Zealand, the world renowned Hooker Valley Track. Known for it scenic beautry, hiking beneath hanging glaciers to the Hooker Lake at the base of the towering Aoraki/Mt Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain. We learn about the geological history of the valley along with a retelling of the Maori Legend of Aoraki!
Tasman Lake 10:51
We arrive at Tasman lake filled with icebergs and glacial debris. Here we discuss the recent retreat of New Zealand's largest glacier.
The Tasman Glacier Ski Plane and Helicopter 13:05
We head up via ski plane and helicopter. We take a side journey flying up via the peak of Aoraki to the west coast glaciers of Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier followed by a landing on the Tasman Glacier itself.
Lake Tekapo & the Mount John Walkway 19:25
We arrive at the stunning Turquoise lake of Tekapo, here we see the famous Church of the Good Shepherd and the famous Russell Lupins before undertaking a hike above the lake and township to the Mount John Observatory. Here we learn why our lakes are so vividly blue along with the importance of the observatory and our Dark Sky Zone.
Join us in the next episode as we explore the Adventure Capital of the world during summer! Our home of Queenstown, New Zealand.
???????? Lake Tekapo Stargazing Tour – New Zealand's Biggest Gap Year – Backpacker Guide New Zealand
Day 198: Lake Tekapo is an International Dark Sky Reserve so it’s a must-do to do some stargazing in Lake Tekapo! We’re joining Earth & Sky Lake Tekapo for their New Zealand stargazing tour.
Yesterday - Day 197 ➜
Tomorrow – Day 199 ➜
30 Tips for Backpacking in New Zealand ➜
-- About this video --
Today’s Lake Tekapo activity actually starts at 12am when we’re doing the Earth & Sky stargazing tour in Lake Tekapo! This stargazing tour takes us stargazing at the Mt John Observatory.
The Mount John Observatory allows us to use powerful telescopes to see the stars of the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve. We’re in one of the best places for stargazing in New Zealand as it has some of the darkest and clearest skies in the world. If you want to see the stars in Lake Tekapo, this is where you need to be.
So what do you think of the stars in New Zealand? Would you add this stargazing tour in New Zealand to your Lake Tekapo travel itinerary? LUK in the comments!
#TravelNewZealand #BackpackerGuideNZ #LakeTekapo #CanterburyNZ #NewZealandVlog #NewZealand #NZMustDo
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-- New Zealand Biggest Gap Year --
365 Days: 365 Activities
BackpackerGuide.NZ is New Zealand’s biggest online travel guide for adventure and budget travel in New Zealand. Join us, as the team behind BackpackerGuide.NZ, Robin and Laura, update the travel guide while taking on 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand! It’s New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year! We release new videos of the New Zealand backpacking adventure every single day, as well as New Zealand travel tips and 360 videos every Sunday so start making your New Zealand bucket list!
Read more about our experience of the Earth & Sky Tour in Lake Tekapo on New Zealand’s biggest guide for backpackers:
-- More Things to Do in Lake Tekapo –
5 Best Backpacker Hostels in Lake Tekapo ➜
5 Lake Tekapo Must-Dos ➜
Lake Tekapo – Guide for Backpackers ➜
9 Unmissable Things to Do in Lake Tekapo ➜
Explore Mt. Cook + Tekapo! | New Zealand
Discover the beauty and serenity of the Mackenzie District in New Zealand!
Footage shot at and around:
Tekapo
Mt. Cook
Tasman Glacier
Lake Pukaki
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Welcome to the World's largest Gold Status Dark Sky Reserve in the world.
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Join us on a Big Sky Stargazing tour, with the Hermitage, Aoraki/Mount Cook.
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Road Trip to Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook | New Zealand
We did this road trip to Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook in New Zealand and it was amazing! So many great landscapes!
We started our trip to lake tekapo where we spent the night and watched the stars nearby the lake tekapo. Lake tekapo is part of UNESCO stargazing places so if you are there wake up in the middle of the night and look up!
Next stop in our road trip in New Zealand was the Lake pulaski and the mount cook. We only say the mount cook from far because we did not have more time and we had to get back to Christchurch, so we stayed south of the lake pukaki and took amazing pictures there.
If you are wondering what to do in New Zealand, don't worry there is plenty of things to do in New Zealand. Roadtrip in new zealand are very famous because you can see a lot of things as the county is massive.
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LAKE TEKAPO: CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, STARGAZING & OTHER THINGS TO DO
Lake Tekapo is a small town located on the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of country's most popular tourist destinations with lots of people visiting this picturesque place every day. There are many attractions and things to do here including sightseeing, stargazing, walking tracks and many others. Lake Tekapo is also located right on the State Highway 8 which links Christchurch, Mt Cook National Park, Queenstown and other points of interest on the South Island.
Lake Tekapo is called like that thanks to the amazing lake located right next to it. This is a glacier lake and water there has a stunning vibrant colour. Views here are so beautiful! You can see mountains everywhere and they look incredible in winter with lots of snow covering the top. In spring, Tekapo is famous for its lupins.
Doesn't matter in what season you're visiting Lake Tekapo, the most well-known attraction there is the Church of the Good Shepherd. This fabulous building is world-famous on Instagram and thousands of people come to Tekapo to take pictures of this church. Allow yourself plenty of time there as you may have to wait for your turn to take a clean shot of the Church of the Good Shepherd. You can also get inside and admire the interior of this church but photography is not allowed inside.
This part of New Zealand and Tekapo in particular is perfect for stargazing. Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is home for several observatories and you can get a chance to learn more about stars and astronomy. There is a couple of companies doing stargazing tours in Tekapo, we decided to go with the Dark Sky Project. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't good for stargazing and our tour was moved indoors.
There are more things to do in Lake Tekapo including multiple walking tracks. We decided to do Cowans Hill Walkway and it was quite nice. There is also a couple of great cafes located in Tekapo. We can recommend Our Dog Friday if you're into burgers.
This is Travel Vlog 9 from our NZ Road Trip 2020. If you would like to see other videos from our adventure of the year, please check the links below. We have lots of other travel videos about New Zealand, including detailed guides for Christchurch where you can discover other things to do there.
PS: this 30-day New Zealand road trip was taking place when NZ was in Alert Level 1, so all the requirements were fulfilled. If you would like to travel during other alert levels, make sure to check the requirements and please stay safe.
NEW ZEALAND ROAD TRIP 2020:
NEW ZEALAND TRAVEL VIDEOS:
OUR PREVIOUS VISIT TO LAKE TEKAPO:
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
1:31 Lake Tekapo
2:24 Church of the Good Shepherd
4:08 Lake
5:53 Where to eat in Tekapo
6:25 Cowans Hill Walkway
9:32 Stargazing
11:58 Outro
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New Zealand Must do | Mt Cook New Zealand Vlog | Lake Tekapo to Mt Cook
Mt Cook in my opinion the most scenic place in New Zealand. Everything to do in between Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo.
Check out the entire NZ road trip series here
???????? What is the Best Season for the Dark Sky Reserve & Stargazing in New Zealand?
Eva asked: Can you talk about the Dark Sky Reserves & stargazing in New Zealand and is there a season to do it? We talk about seeing the stars in New Zealand and more about the New Zealand Dark Sky Reserves.
-- LINKS REFERENCED IN THIS VIDEO –
5 Stargazing Sites in New Zealand ►►
What is a Dark Sky Reserve? ►►
Lake Tekapo Stargazing Tour [VIDEO] ►►
Aoraki Mt Cook Stargazing Tour [VIDEO] ►►
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Alternatively, leave your New Zealand travel question in the comments below! We’ll be happy to reply to your answer and we might even feature it in our next Q&A video!
-- ABOUT THIS VIDEO –
In this video, we talk about the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve and watching the stars in New Zealand. We discuss the dark sky reserve in New Zealand and what is the best season for stargazing in New Zealand.
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48hrs in LAKE TEKAPO - You Won't Believe What We Saw Stargazing! (NEW ZEALAND)
LAKE TEKAPO | In this video we visit Lake Tekapo, a beautiful town in New Zealand's South Island, known for its incredibly blue lake and for being part of the world's largest dark sky reserve.
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48hrs in LAKE TEKAPO - You Won't Believe What We Saw! (NEW ZEALAND)
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:27 Lake Tekapo
1:33 THE NIGHT SKY ✨
3:50 Sunrise over the lake
6:57 Mount John
10:25 Lakes Edge Holiday Park
12:08 Tekapo Town/Market
13:06 Dark Sky Project
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Tekapo Star Gazing - Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Experience the only guided Stargazing and exclusive use hot pools tour in New Zealand.
Big Sky Stargazing -- Aoraki Mount Cook
Mount Cook is located within the heart of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve - perfect for viewing the night sky! Begin with a planetarium introduction before being transported to our outdoor stargazing site to put your newly acquired knowledge into practice using telescopes, binoculars and the naked eye.
Mt Cook to Lake Tekapo Drive | Church of good shepherd | Tekapo Dark sky observatory Stargazing NZ
Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook National Park are both some of the best places to visit on New Zealand’s South Island. The distance between these two stunning destinations is only 104 kilometers which only takes about 1.5 hours of driving. The drive from Mt Cook to Lake tekapo is stunning and often regarded as one of the best road trips on the South Island.
On this scenic drive, you’ll drive along the bright blue waters of Lake Pukaki before reaching the towering mountain peaks of Mount Cook National Park. The truth is, you’ll probably want to stop every two minutes to jump out and take pictures or just enjoy the views.
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#mtcook#laketekapo#lakepukaki#nztravel#newzealand#nz#roadtrip
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Dark Sky Experience is Now Open!
Get ready to embark on a journey 13.8 billion years in the making. A treat for the senses, the Dark Sky Experience at Takapō (Tekapo), New Zealand, brings science, Māori heritage and fascinating multi-media installations together in a ‘Big Bang’ of awe and inspiration.
Book now to discover our universe and the night skies at this world-first multi-media indoor astronomy experience
Stargazing at Earth and Sky Ltd, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Time-lapse animations taken by Maki Yanagimachi around Lake Tekapo, NewZealand (now the heart of the largest IDA recognized Dark Sky Reserve: the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve). Most of these animations are taken from Mt.John University Observatory, the University of Canterbury's premier astronomical research facility
Unbelievable Discovery:What is the World's Best Place for Star Gazing?????Dark Sky Reserve, Lake Tekapo
Our first stop in New Zealand was the picturesque Lake Tekapo, approximately 3 hours from Christ Church airport.
Lake Tekapo is literally one of the best places in the world for stargazing. It’s part of the Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve which means it is recognised on an international scale for its pristine stargazing conditions. this is also one of the places to get the most amazing photos in New Zealand with the amazing blue waters and the beautiful mountains. It's no wonder this destination is on so many people's bucket list!
#laketekapo #newzealandtourism #newzealand #traveltips #travelphotography #travelguide #travelvlog #travel #luxury #luxurylifestyle #luxurytravel #travel #nature #photography #love #photooftheday #travelgram #picoftheday #instagram #photo #wanderlust #naturephotography #adventure #travelblogger #instatravel #landscape #traveling #ig #explorepage #bucketlist #traveltips
Soak in the Stars with Tekapo Star Gazing
The ultimate in stellar relaxation, Tekapo Star Gazing is the only guided hot pools and star gazing experience in New Zealand. The tour operates from the renowned facilities of Tekapo Springs, combining the stunning Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve with our soul-warming hot pools.
Aoraki & stargazing in Lake Tekapo! #NZTrip
???????? Mt Cook Stargazing Tour & The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre – New Zealand's Biggest Gap Year
Day 194: Today we’re checking out the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre in Mt Cook before joining Big Sky Stargazing for a stargazing tour in Mt Cook National Park! Join us for these things to do in Mt Cook!
Yesterday - Day 193 ➜
Tomorrow – Day 195 ➜
30 Tips for Backpacking in New Zealand ➜
-- About this video --
Today the weather is a bit rainy in Aoraki Mt Cook so we decide to spend the first part of the day at the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre in Mount Cook. The Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre is a small museum celebrating the achievements of Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand national icon, as well as other mountaineering achievements and lifestyle. The Hillary Centre also holds a few relics from the pioneering days of the Aoraki Mount Cook area.
When night falls we join Big Sky Stargazing Tours in the Hermitage Hotel for a stargazing tour in Mt Cook. First, we get an orientation of the night sky in the Hermitage Hotel planetarium before going onto a bus to the Big Sky stargazing secret stargazing spot complete with high powered telescopes. Stargazing in Mount Cook is particularly spectacular as the Aoraki Mt Cook National Park is in an International Dark Sky Reserve called the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve. It has the darkest skies with the least light pollution for some awesome stargazing in New Zealand. The Big Sky Tour is worth considering for a stargazing tour in New Zealand.
So what do you think of the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre and the stargazing tour at the Hermitage Hotel? Would you add it to your Mt Cook travel itinerary? LUK in the comments!
#TravelNewZealand #BackpackerGuideNZ #MtCook #CanterburyNZ #NewZealandVlog #NewZealand #NZMustDo
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-- New Zealand Biggest Gap Year --
365 Days: 365 Activities
BackpackerGuide.NZ is New Zealand’s biggest online travel guide for adventure and budget travel in New Zealand. Join us, as the team behind BackpackerGuide.NZ, Robin and Laura, update the travel guide while taking on 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand! It’s New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year! We release new videos of the New Zealand backpacking adventure every single day, as well as New Zealand travel tips and 360 videos every Sunday so start making your New Zealand bucket list!
Read more about our experience Mt Cook stargazing on New Zealand’s biggest guide for backpackers:
-- More Things to Do in Mt Cook –
5 Best Backpacker Hostels in Mt Cook ➜
10 Must-Do Hikes Around Mt Cook ➜
Aoraki Mt Cook National Park – Guide for Backpackers ➜