Tekapo: growing tourist haven - but the bluewater lake is terribly low
I'm heading to shores of the glistening turquoise blue Lake Tekapo - one of the nouveau vogue southern lake resort areas of New Zealand. Lake Tekapo is the highest lake in New Zealand - it's also half a lake it's so low; and in terms of hydro power generation it's almost no lake!
At capacity, Lake Tekapo is 713 metres above sea level - today it is well under 690m above sea level. Power shortages can't be far away.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to the start. I arrive at Jucy's Christchurch depot and Tim sorts me out so quickly with my car. They are a great bunch there.
The 150 minute drive to Tekapo is relaxing and shows little signs of the heavy rainfall and storm battering that has lashed other parts of Canterbury. The rivers are flowing stronger than locals have seen for years. The Selwyn River hasn't had any water in it for as long as some can remember - until this winter.
I resist popping into Dunsandel tearooms for a coffee or curl up by their roaring fire and press on. I turn right at the big giant salmon at Rakaia and head up Thompson's Track to Mayfield. I'm about to fly through Mayfield and catch a glimpse at a big second-hand shop. I do a u-turn and just have to have a look. Jan Howden's Overflow Store has as many items in it as grains of sand on a beach. It must be the most stocked second-hand shop in New Zealand. I get a 1950s book about New Zealand and carry on - wishing I could spend all day there. Jan says I was lucky to catch her: she says she doesn't always open the shop!
On through Geraldine which has more cafes every month almost, up through Fairlie, drizzly rain up Burke's Pass, past the Mt Dobson turn-off and swing around past Dog Kennel corner and there's that magic view. Like a miracle the clouds disappear and there is the best picture-postcard shot that people come all over the world to see: The Southern Alps laden white with so much snow - brilliant blue skies and golden tussock. Breathe-taking. This is the Mackenzie Country and it feels like the heart and soul of southern New Zealand - just like the horseshoe-bay pohutukawa lined Northland beaches are so iconically Kiwi.
I spend the night at the new Peppers Bluewater Resort. It's the best place to stay in town. Great rooms: great spot looking out on to the lake; top food and excellent service. Bluewater manager Ken Edwards is a top bloke and is overseeing the completion of the resort which will be fully finished in November. The resort is full for the night - the National Bank people are in town. I loved the warm rooms, earthy tones and the incredible lake views.
But when I awake next morning I go down to the lake and am horrified how low the lake is. At one point I walked 200 metres and still didn't reach the water's edge. How ironic that the amphitheatre of heavy snow on the slopes carry what will be more than enough water for next year - but not this year. Fingers crossed.
Up the road I see a sign with one road heading to the old Bullock Wagon Trail with a fresh wild deer skin hung over the post to dry in the sun. This is just on the doorstep of world heritage listed Mt Cook national park so it's what you expect in these parts.
Tekapo was a sleepy lake town - a bit like Queenstown of 50 years ago. It has blossomed into a fast growing tourist centre with real estate prices that match. Justo pened is the Alpine Springs and Spa winter park, an ice rink, snow park and hot-pools, developed by Karl Burtscher and fully operational this year. The Burtschers are big in these parts. Some of the family run the Mt Dobson ski field. Another brother, Michael Burtscher, part owns the Coldwater Group of companies, that wants to reshape the shopping lay out in the former hydro township. The lake town offers mountain biking, golf, fishing, kayaking, ski and snowboarding on the pristine snow slopes, boating, ice skating, horse trekking (summer only) and NZ's best starwatching from the world famous Mt John Observatory.
The days are magic here as they only get 78 rain days a year with average rainfall around 600mm (23.6 inches) compared to 2000mm in parts of Auckland and Northland. Average sunshine is 2180 hours about 200 hours above the national sunshine average. It gets up into the 30s in summer and down to a record minus 15 in winter.
I drive quietly back to Christchurch pondering about the future of the Mackenzie Country in generations to come. The Mackenzie possesses landscape character and heritage value to the Kiwi psyche but burgeoning land-hunger for water is impacting on basin landscapes.
- Kip Brook, word of Mouth Media NZ
