Travelogue

Church of the Good ShepherdWe had chosen Lake Tekapo as the first destination on our South Island adventure, because we thought 3 hours would be a good amount of time for our first day on the road. Unfortunately, those 3 hours turned into 6 when our van broke down and required replacing the battery.

Undaunted - well maybe a little daunted - we forged on and got to the famous Church of the Good Shepherd, by 7:00 pm.

We were not alone as this is one of the most photographed buildings in New Zealand, and it’s easy to see why.

View of Lake Tekapo from the ChurchThe church is a simple one, constructed of local stone, which blends seamlessly with the surrounding mountains.

Its setting is stunning - set on the shores of the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo with a backdrop of the Southern Alps.

Unfortunately, we could not go inside where there is a large window behind the altar with stunning views of the lake and mountains.

The Sheep Dog MemorialIt was impossible to get a photo of the church without hordes of people in front of it, so we gave up and embraced the current situation, which included pretty girls in white dresses posing in front of it. I believe they are called “influencers” that try to get likes and followers on social media.

Right next to the church there is a bronze statue of a sheep dog, a tribute to the working sheep dogs that played a vital role in the development of the Mackenzie Country’s farming industry.

Along the Mt. John Loop TrailBack in 1855, a Scot named James Mckenzie brought 1,000 sheep (most likely stolen) to the secluded pastures in this area. He was a bit of a colorful character and spent several months in jail before, escaping a few times, before he was eventually pardoned.

He was, however, a master herdsman of sheep and he and his loyal sheep dogs played an important role in establishing sheep farming in the region, which has been a crucial part of the area’s economy.

Along the Mt. John Loop TrailI assume the name Church of the Good Shepherd came from James McKenzie, probably because it sounds better than Church of the Scofflaw Shepherd.

It had been a very long day (van pickup, van breakdown, driving for the first time on the left side of narrow, windy roads, etc.), so we drove directly to the Lakes Edge Holiday Park Camping Ground, where we had a reservation for 2 nights.

Along the Mt. John Loop TrailWe were packed in pretty tightly next to our neighbors, but we did have a view of the lake, which we were able to easily walk down to.

The next morning, we set off right from our campground to hike the 6.5-mile (with 1,254-foot elevation gain) Mount John loop trail.

We decided to do the loop in a counter-clockwise direction, which meant that the first half of our hike traversed the hilly grasslands overlooking beautiful turquoise-blue Lake Tekapo, with the Southern Alps of Mt. Aspiring National Park in the background. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Along the Mt. John Loop TrailFrom the top of the loop, where the trail U-turned back south, there was a beautiful peninsula jutting out into the lake with trails going to its end. It was so tempting to follow those trails, but it meant a lot of extra miles going down a steep grade and then back up again, so we stuck to the original plan.

There were also two lovely turquoise blue small lakes to the north of us.

Although we were at the top of the loop, we still had another mile and 800 more feet of elevation gain to conquer before reaching the summit.
I didn’t see how the view at the summit could be any better than this one.

From here the trail really did start to climb up a pretty steep grassy hill, where we got our first sight of the silver domes, which house the telescopes of the Mt. John University Tower.

Along the Mt. John LoopThe summit of Mt. John is part of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, renowned for its exceptional stargazing conditions because of the lack of light pollution.

It's a working astronomical research observatory and it’s very popular for the Dark Sky Project’s stargazing tours, where visitors see the night sky through the powerful telescopes within those domes.

Unfortunately, we planned to move on to Mt. Cook today after we finished the hike, so we would not be able to stay for a tour. Besides, I think they require a reservation and fill up quickly on a clear night.

Along the Mt. John Loop TrailWe did have time, however, to partake in the Astro Cafe atop the summit, near the Observatory. The 360-degree panoramic views from the cafe of Lake Tekapo, the Southern Alps, and the Mackenzie Basin were pretty spectacular.

We bought coffee and the last two meat pies in the cafe and soaked in the views from a picnic table outside the cafe.

From there it was all downhill back to the campground.

Since it was only about 1:00 and we had done everything we wanted to do at Lake Tekapo, we decided to take a shower at our Lake Tekapo campground, since we were already paying for this night, and then move on to the White Horse Hill Campground in Mt. Cook National Park.

I confess to being a bit paranoid about arriving at a full campground, so I had double booked both the Lake Tekapo and Mt. Cook campgrounds, so we could be flexible.

It was a pattern that I would repeat several times during the trip.