Lake Tekapo

Tuesday 27 December; Lake Tekapo. Afternoon stop and leg stretch again. Also decided to stock up on provisions here for the evening, on reflection should have gone elsewhere as the town itself is pure tourist trap and the supermarket prices hinted at this. Nice view of the lake though. Apparently the colour is due to the reflective qualities of eroded rock particles held in suspension in the water.


The Church of Good Shepherd on the shores of Lake Tekapo opened in 1935. The idea for a local church was first mooted by the then Vicar of Fairlie, Reverend W.E.D. Davies, and picked up by the local runholders, who saw it as an opportunity to commemorate their ancestors who braved the rigours of this harsh alpine environment to establish the runs. The church was constructed from poured concrete and faced with local boulders, carefully chosen for their size, shape and colour. These were left in their original state complete with any existing lichen. In part this restraint is linked to the economic depression of the thirties, which left the community with little money for building.


The main feature of the interior, however, is the panorama of the lake and mountains, visible through the plate glass window above the altar, the idea to make visible and frame the glory of God's creation. With views like that, how does anyone concentrate on the sermon?

Further along the shore from the church is the Collie Dog Monument, erected in 1968 by the sheep farmers of Mackenzie Country as a mark of respect and affection for the dogs that made it possible to graze the harsh terrain.