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Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury, South Island

Aoraki / Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo

The Mackenzie Basin holds two of the South Island's most-filmed places: Lake Tekapo, with its turquoise water and very dark night skies, and Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, home to New Zealand's highest mountain. Both sit inside the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. An overnight is the minimum to do them justice.

What creators film here

  • A guided stargazing tour at Lake Tekapo on a clear night.
  • The Church of the Good Shepherd on the lakeshore.
  • The Hooker Valley Track to the glacier lake below Aoraki.
  • Lake Pukaki on the road in, with the mountain at its head on a clear day.

When to come

Winter, from June to August, brings the longest, darkest nights and snow on the peaks, but cold temperatures. Summer suits walking. Lupins flower along the roads in late spring and early summer. Mountain weather can hide Aoraki for days, so two nights in the area give a better chance.

Getting around on a hosted trip

Lake Tekapo is about three hours by road from Christchurch or Queenstown, and Aoraki / Mount Cook Village is about an hour and a quarter from Tekapo. Travel is agreed in the itinerary before you sign, and rooms in both villages are limited at peak times.

Filming notes

  • Use red light only at night, and keep phone screens dim near other stargazers.
  • Drones on conservation land need a DOC permit. Assume no drone shots in the national park.
  • Lupins are an invasive weed on the riverbeds. Film them from the roadside and do not trample the braided rivers.

On the ground

Experiences in Aoraki / Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo