What do you do in the peak of summer when you have a spare weekend and an adventurous Mum who has always wanted to visit Lake Tekapo? You plan a last minute road trip from Queenstown to Mackenzie Country! This was the best weather I have experienced in this region by far, so luck was on Mum’s side when it came to seeing the mountain peaks of Mount Cook National Park, the stunning turquoise and blues of the region’s lakes, and the shining stars in the southern hemisphere’s largest Dark Sky Reserve.
Day 1
We arrived at Queenstown airport just before midday, picked up the rental car and had lunch at Mora Wines & Artisan Kitchen, just outside of Arrowtown. The outdoor garden seating area is wonderful and relaxing on a sunny day, and the coffee (served in tulip cups) and food were yum and well presented. Heading east towards Cromwell and SH8, we passed many fruit stalls with honesty boxes, and tried to stop off at a couple of wineries in Bannockburn to do some wine tastings. Unfortunately, many wineries were not offering this due to staff shortages, or only doing pre-booked wine tastings. This was very disappointing and unexpected being peak season, a weekend day and prior visits where we could do walk-in tastings, so fair warning to those interested in this activity to ring ahead.
About an hour out of Queenstown, there are some tidy, flushing, public toilets (and a cafe) at Tarras before the Lindis Pass section of the drive. From there, it is another couple of hours north to reach the shores of Lake Tekapo. I have a couple of blog posts that go into depth about all the places you can visit/stop at between Queenstown and Tekapo, covering Arrowtown, Ben Ohau, Twizel and Lake Tekapo, as well as Lindis Pass, Clay Cliffs and Lake Ruataniwha.
With the sun beating down on a hot summer’s day, we were dying for a quintessential dairy ice cream/ice block, and patiently waited for the big selection at the Four Square Tekapo supermarket. We made a beeline to the Church of the Good Shepherd carpark and wandered around the grounds and across Lake Tekapo Bridge, soaking in the sight of that turquoise-coloured lake, which looked glorious on a bright and sunny day.
Despite it being the middle of the summer and school holidays and the opening of the New Zealand borders in August 2022, Lake Tekapo was humming but not crowded nor too busy, as you can see from the photos above. We stayed at Grand Suites Lake Tekapo which opened in September 2022 and has awesome views of Lake Tekapo and Tekapo Bridge. The king ensuite rooms are spacious with their own balcony, and has a kitchenette with all cookware, crockery and utensils you may need. It is also only a 3-minute walk to the shops and restaurants in the town centre, and some establishments worth mentioning include Jack Rabbit for breakfast (mum rated their coffee the best during our trip, and we got a 10% discount being guests at Grand Suites Lake Tekapo) and Blue Lake Eatery for dinner. Blue Lake Eatery surpassed all our expectations, we had a 6.30pm seating and food was out within 10-15 minutes of ordering. The food is well presented, delicious (we had the giant lamb shank and beetroot 3 ways – the beetroot chips were my favourite), and the servers we had were very friendly and joked with us, even offering mum a job for her perfect beer pour!
After dinner was the perfect time to go for a final stroll along the lake’s shores, or in our case, go lupine hunting. We did not visit during peak blooming season (month of December), so they were few and far between near the Church of the Good Shepherd, but we managed to come across a field of half-wilted lupines off SH8 that were still beautiful 🙂
Other notable details about Grand Suites Lake Tekapo include fast wifi, being given a fresh 300ml bottle of Anchor blue top milk at check-in, and the room compendium that has good recommendations for restaurants and activities. One day, I would like to do the Air Safaris’ Grand Traverse Scenic Flight that soars over the lakes of the region, Mount Cook, Tasman, Franz and Fox Glaciers.
Day 2
We were incredibly lucky to have clear skies both nights in Tekapo and Mount Cook National Park, and could see plenty of shining stars from our hotels’ balconies. We had a leisurely breakfast in Tekapo town centre before packing up and heading to Mount John Observatory. The road to the observatory does not open until 10am (despite what Google says), and there were already a handful of cars waiting by the gate at 9.45am (probably as confused as we were as to why it wasn’t open at 9am). The Tekapo township and lake were brilliantly lit up at this hour, and by 11 o’clock, at least 30 people were enjoying the views from the summit and Astro Cafe.
There are toilets at the summit, on the left of the footpath up to Astro Cafe.
Next up was a visit to the stunning NZ Alpine Lavender farm on Mount Cook Road, open between the months of December and March. It really is a must-do, whether you are interested in photography, lavender products, or our absolute favourite, the frozen yoghurt and ice cream! The farm has a beautiful backdrop of the Ben Ohau Range, and there are plenty of photo opportunities with props such as vintage bicycles, garden chairs, and a purple tractor.
There is a $5 entry fee which you get back if you spend $30+ on any products, excluding food from the ice cream truck.
Heading back out onto Mount Cook Road, we continued along the shores of Lake Pukaki and entered Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. As we were a bit early for check-in, we drove to the Blue Lakes/Tasman Glacier carpark, and walked the short but steep track to the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint. This is a 40-minute in-and-out track, with stairs to climb and 85 metres of elevation. At the rocky summit, you will see the milky Tasman Lake at the foot of the receding Tasman Glacier, and a number of icebergs depending on the season. The track also takes you past the ‘Blue Lakes’ which are now small green ponds, and there is a nice sheltered area with picnic tables to enjoy a packed lunch by the carpark. Toilets are also available at the trailhead.
Before going out on our second walk of the day, we had a quick bite to eat at the Sir Edmund Hillary Cafe and Bar (cafeteria style with free iced water) and checked into our room at The Hermitage Hotel. With a dinner booking at 7pm, we had our work cut out for us, and set off at a timely pace on the Hooker Valley Track. Much like the Tasman Glacier Track, the walk is completely exposed and we were sweating bullets on this particularly hot and sunny day!
The Hooker Valley Track takes you across 3 swing bridges, via Mueller and Hooker Lakes, and along Hooker River. It is a 3 hour in-and-out trail, and toilets are available at the White Horse Hill campsite/carpark, and mid-trail. (I have another blog post detailing the Hooker Valley, Sealy Tarns and Mueller Hut Tracks if you are interested!)
Self-service dinner and breakfast at the Hermitage Hotel were included in our room rate which was different to my last stay in 2021 when à la carte was on offer. We requested a room with two queen beds, which placed us in the older Wakefield building. The walls/doors were noticeably less sound proof, wifi was slow and un-useable at times, and the plumbing was weak and basically a dribble from the shower head. We had to park down the hill by the visitor centre as it was so busy, which was a 5-10 minute walk to our hotel room. We had a much better experience in a king room the last time we stayed at the Hermitage, as this was in the main/newer part of the hotel. The redeeming feature was the balcony views and watching the sun hit the peaks of Aoraki, Mount Sefton and Mount Wakefield at sunrise and sunset.
The various restaurants and visitor centres at the Hermitage Hotel are open to the public, and dinner bookings at the Alpine Restaurant and Panorama Room are essential. There are some toilets to the left of the reception desk.
Day 3
For our journey back to Queenstown, we detoured via Wanaka and enjoyed lunch at Curbside Coffee and Bagels, which is part of a collection of food trucks on Brownston Street (toilet facilities available). We attempted to do a wine tasting at Rippon, but they were not allowing walk-ins (appointment only) nor even visiting their grounds, and the cafe at Edgewater were not making their delicious scones due to staff shortages. As such, we left Wanaka somewhat disappointed and drove to Gibbston via the Crown Range.
We picked Kinross Cottages for our third night’s accomodation, nestled amongst the Kinross Vines in Gibbston Valley. The modern cottages are king ensuites with a kitchenette (microwave, oven, cookware, crockery), dining and sitting areas, has great wifi and beautiful grounds to wander including the vines, fruit trees, pétanque courts, a couple of ponds and picnic seats, and a covered outdoor BBQ area. The rate includes a free wine tasting, hot tub soak (bookings required) and a gourmet continental breakfast (eggs, bacon, mushrooms, cereals, toast, doughnuts and croissants) with barista coffee.
The vineyard itself is small in area and local boutique wineries sell their product exclusively through the Kinross cellar door. The property has an on-site bistro serving lunch, afternoon snacks and takeaway dinner to the general public. They also offer a variety of wine experiences that can be viewed on their website.
We ventured to Millbrook Resort and had dinner at Kobe Cuisine on our final night, and returned to Kinross for an end-of-day soak in the hot tub. The vineyard is located along the 8.7km Gibbston River Trail and bicycles can be hired through the property.
Depending on your neighbours, you may hear the odd drawer closing or a tv show/movie through the walls. Adjoining rooms are available. The beds were comfortable, but our pillows or pillowcases had a slight musty smell.
Location-wise, if you have a car and want to avoid the traffic and touristy-feel of Queenstown centre, Gibbston is a relaxed and more convenient base to explore both directions from Glenorchy, Queenstown, and Arrowtown to Wanaka, Cromwell and Clyde. It is a 20-minute drive from Queenstown Airport and there is a large shopping complex (retail, petrol stations, and supermarkets) near the airport in Frankton should you wish to dine-in or pick up any trip essentials.
There will be a couple of videos making their way to my YouTube channel after I recover from eye surgery, so please be patient and I can’t wait to share the footage from this trip and the Otago Rail Trail!
Thanks – Great pics and very informative and readable narrative as usual Lillian