Lake Tekapo, Alpine lake and settlement in Mackenzie District, New Zealand
Lake Tekapo covers 83 square kilometers at 710 meters elevation, with turquoise waters colored by suspended glacial silt from the Godley and Macaulay Rivers.
The settlement emerged after John and Barbara Hay established the first sheep farm on the lake shores in 1857, following James Mackenzie's inland expedition.
The name derives from Māori words 'taka' and 'pō', while local mythology attributes the lake's creation to explorer Rākaihautū using his Polynesian digging stick.
The lake area receives 2,400 annual sunshine hours and maintains consistent water levels through hydroelectric management at the Tekapo A Power Station.
The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve surrounds Lake Tekapo, offering exceptional astronomical observation conditions with minimal light interference.
Location: Mackenzie District
GPS coordinates: -44.00500,170.47750
Latest update: May 27, 2025 11:41
New Zealand offers photographic locations from mountains and beaches to cities. The landscape spans from thermal springs in Rotorua to glaciers in the Southern Alps. Visitors find waterfalls like Purakaunui, volcanoes like Mount Taranaki, and sand beaches on the Coromandel Peninsula. The Hobbiton film set, Waitomo Caves, and Larnach Castle showcase cultural diversity.
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