NEW ZEALAND · LAKE TEKAPO TOURS
The good lake tekapo tours go early and the great ones go earlier. Here are 15 to lock in before you land, what is included and how they differ.
See the southern Milky Way, planets, and nebulae through a 14-inch telescope on a guided Lake Tekapo stargazing tour.
“We appreciated the loan of the parkas to wear during the program. It would have been nice to have more time for stargazing and more telescope time.”
Stargaze under Lake Tekapo’s dark skies with powerful telescopes, hot chocolate, blankets, marshmallows, and complimentary night-sky photos.
“Estella was so knowledgeable! We learned a lot in a fun and interesting way. The set up was great with comfy chairs, blankets, hot chocolate and easy access setting. It was a wonderful experience.”
Review of the Christchurch to Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo day tour, with glacier walks, lunch, guide tips, costs, timing, and practical advice.
“It was a great tour and a fantastic experience. We learned and saw so many interesting things. Thank you very much and highly recommended.”
Review of the 13-hour Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo and Tasman Glacier tour from Christchurch, with itinerary details, value advice, hiking tips, and FAQs.
“This tour was awesome! First of all, just know that it is going to be a LONG day. The tour really is 13 hours as it takes about 4 hours to reach Mt Cook from Christchurch, but this company does a great job including lots of breaks but also keeping things moving! My tour guide, Anuj, was particularly kind and caring. As in, I've been on a LOT of tours, and I'm pretty sure he was the most giving guide I've ever had. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but if you're fortunate enough to have him, he really looks after you and makes the experience special. And,…”
Review of Tekapo Shuttle’s Mount Cook day tour, with Tasman Glacier, Lake Pukaki, flexible hikes, practical tips, and honest value advice.
“What a fantastic tour! So worth doing to see some incredible mountains. Our guide TJ was amazing, he looked after the group so well and had great knowledge of the area and its history. TJ also prepared so many thoughtful touches to ensure we were all comfortable and made the most of the day, like refreshments, hiking poles and texting us when mount cook appeared during our hike.”
Explore Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, and Aoraki Mount Cook from Christchurch on a small-group day tour with lunch and guided walks.
“This was a very interesting and fun trip with plenty of beautiful scenery and photo opportunities along the way. However, the walking time felt a bit rushed as we needed to get back to Christchurch. I think we wouldn't have had time to do the Hooker Valley walk even if we were able to.”
Review of Chameleon Stargazing at Lake Tekapo, with telescope viewing, astronomy stories, hot chocolate, marshmallows, photos, and practical tips.
“From a guided tour of constellations and the galaxies we could see with the naked eye, to a close up look at Saturn and fascinating nebulas (with an added treat of a massive shooting star!), we were treated to a super knowledgeable experieRead more”
Review of Mount John Summit stargazing in Tekapo, with telescope views, expert guides, cold-weather tips, pricing, and booking advice.
“we really enjoyed the tour . interesting and engaging and plenty of fun . all the guides were enthusiastic and enjoyed what they were doing”
Travel Christchurch to Queenstown through Fairlie, Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Mt Cook, Lindis Pass, and Kawarau Gorge in one scenic day.
“Dear guide, I really want to say thank you so much for this wonderful trip. As a solo traveler, I felt so well taken care of by you. You always paid attention to me, told funny jokes, and made the whole tour enjoyable. I’m not a native English speaker, but you kept smiling and spoke slowly to make sure I could understand. Your patience and kindness made this trip really special for me. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I really appreciate you and hope to see you again soon!”
Review of Cheeky Kiwi’s Mt Cook and Tekapo day tour from Christchurch, with mountain views, lunch, guided walks, and practical tips.
“William was our guide for the day and he was fantastic. He shared interesting facts about New Zealand and our places of visit , and encouraged interaction between the group to make the long drives interesting. The places that we stopped at were beautiful. It was an enjoyable experience for us overall.”
Review of Tekapo Springs hot pools, with lake views, three pools, practical tips, costs, facilities, and advice for families and couples.
“What a relaxing way to unwind when we arrived at Lake Tekapo! We couldn’t check in until 3pm so went for a swim instead. Beautiful location overlooking the lake with 3 pools to choose from. 1 x adults only pool available for those that want to relax. There is a skating rink available but no snow during our visit. Would be ideal in winter ❄️ All facilities provided- cafe, towel hire (extra cost) & showers! Lockers are available too for extra cost but lots of storage available outside when you swim in little hubs to store bags & towels. We only stayed for 2 hours & that was enough for…”
Fly from Lake Tekapo over Aoraki Mount Cook, Tasman, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers on a 50-minute scenic flight.
“This was amazing. This was one of the highlights of my 2 month solo tour of NZ. Fabulous 👌”
Feed sheep, alpaca, pigs, and lambs at Lake Tekapo Petting Zoo, with a guide-led visit and possible bottle-feeding in lamb season.
“Our tour was so much fun! Our guide was excellent - knowledgeable and flexible. We truly enjoyed our experience and it was definitely worth making a stop to meet and feed the animals.”
Review the Christchurch to Queenstown tour via Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook, with practical advice on stops, value, comfort, guides, and timing.
“We had a decent overall tour but there were a few things that could have been improved. We had to cancel our Alpine Flying tour at Mt Cook due to weather (no one’s fault obviously) but the clouds parted so we could at least get some nice photos of the mountain. The van itself was very cramped which made for a very long day but there were several stops which helped a little. There were bags of snacks (chips, cookies, chocolate, water, soda) on each seat when we got on the van at 6:30am and then they gave us each a lunch bag at our first stop around 9:30am. Therefore,…”
Review of the Christchurch to Queenstown day tour via Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook, with scenic stops, meals, guides, and practical booking tips.
“Went well, many stops seeing many different aspects of New Zealand. Supplied many snacks and stopped at various places to buy things also.”
Sorted by what you actually want to do that morning.
