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PENINSULA

MACKENZIE:
MT. COOK &
LAKE TEKAPO

CHRISTCHURCH & CANTERBURY

THREE DISTINCT ENVIRONMENTS — ARID HIGH PLAINS, RUGGED ALPINE MOUNTAINS,
AND GLACIER-FED LAKES — CONVERGE TO FORM THE EXTRAORDINARILY SCENIC AND
LARGELY UNPOPULATED BACK COUNTRY OUTBACK OF LAKE TEKAPO AND MT. COOK.
PHOTO CREDITS: rob suisted (mt. cook), fraser gunn (hikers on swing bridge), gareth eyres (alpine helicopter),
adventure films (tekapo canal), bob mccree (lake ruataniwha), chris mclennan (skiing), tourism nz
(hooker valley swing bridge), and home at first (lake tekapo road, mt. john observatories).
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The highest Southern Alps and remotest sheep stations
meet on the high Canterbury plain in Mackenzie Country.
Explore by car, by walking, and by alpine flights. Great fishing, too!
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Attractions in Mt. Cook & Lake Tekapo:
       Mt. Cook and the Southern Alps and
the region's many lakes with their surprising
turquoise color.
• LAKE PUKAKI, MT COOK & THE HOOKER VALLEY:
   New Zealand's highest mountain lords over
   a turquoise lake and a remarkable glacier
   valley that invites walking and other
   outdoors activities.
• LAKE TEKAPO & MACKENZIE COUNTRY: the broad
   expanses of New Zealand's remotest ranch
   country include dramatic vistas from atop

The northern limits of Lake Tekapo
end at a curtain of Southern Alps.

Enjoying a picnic while looking
across Lake Pukaki at Mt. Cook.

Mt. John overlooking Lakes Alexandrina, McGregor, and Tekapo with the snowcapped main spine of the Southern Alps and the rugged Two Thumb Range lining the horizon.

Activities in Mt. Cook & Lake Tekapo:
       Hiking, fishing, mountaineering, scenic flights, mountain biking, golf, horseback riding, stargazing. Stargazing? Lake Tekapo and the

Lodgings: Quality bed and breakfast lodgings
in Lake Tekapo (population 300), a principal Mackenzie Country town mid-way between Queenstown and Christchurch. Lodgings also available in the tourist town of Mt. Cook, ideal for those wanting to hike or pursue mountain-eering in New Zealand's highest mountains.

Home At First's Tekapo House provides
quality lodging with a view in the
small town of Lake Tekapo.

Getting to/from Mt. Cook and Lake Tekapo: Home At First guests travel to Mt. Cook and Lake Tekapo by rental car, normally coming northeast from Queenstown—a very scenic 3-4 hour drive. Most depart Mackenzie Country—the Mt. Cook and Lake Tekapo region—for Christchurch, a drive of 3-4.5 hours.
 

Highway 80 follows the west shore of
Lake Pukaki from the village of Twizel
to Mt. Cook. In clear weather the view
improves by the minute along this drive.
Photo David Wall - Tourism New Zealand.

Getting around Mackenzie Country: Use of a rental car is essential here.  Roads in this part of New Zealand are especially lightly traveled and scenic. But, when driving keep an eye out for stray sheep sometimes on the roads!

Mackenzie Country means
open range & open roads.

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HOME AT FIRST IS A DESIGNATED "KIWI SPECIALIST"
TOUR OPERATOR BY THE NEW ZEALAND TOURISM BOARD.


AFFORDABLE DREAM TRAVEL WITH ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME.