lake tekapo
Lake Tekapo and its quaint Church of the Good Shepherd is one of my absolute favourite locations in New Zealand. I have visited a few times in the past, capturing a stunning purple sunset and a snowy morning in the area, but something about this place keeps calling me back. Below are some images of my latest visit, where I enjoyed a serene golden hour by the lake.
Although the Clay Cliffs near Lake Tekapo were mostly unknown when I visited, they can now be admired from screens all around the world. This stunning location was featured in Disney’s Mulan movie, making it yet another famous shooting location in New Zealand’s South Island. It now joins the ranks of Hobbiton, Mount Cook, and Tongariro National Park, as one of many internationally-recognised “kiwi” landscapes.
The next day at Lake Tekapo proved to be a lucky one: we woke up at 5am to find that the town was covered in deep, fluffy snow. We headed out before sunrise to catch The Church of the Good Shepherd in the snow, and captured some aerial photography in the surrounding area.
The change of weather was a pleasant surprise. Over the span of three days, we had a beautiful purple sunset, followed by an almost-clear starry sky, and a snowy morning.
Following a visit to Arthur's Pass, we drove to Lake Tekapo, arriving just in time for sunset. As the sun sets on the opposite side of the lake in Autumn, we were left with a beautiful purple sky over The Church of the Good Shepherd. We also waited for nightfall to attempt some evening photographs, and although the skies clouded over, there were still quite a few stars to be seen.
