Church of the Good Shepherd

The Church of the Good Shepherd was built in 1935 on the shore of Lake Tekapo as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country, from local stone and matai, and deliberately without a conventional altarpiece: the window behind the altar is plain glass framing the lake and the Southern Alps, which is the whole idea of the building. It is among the most photographed buildings in New Zealand and that has become its problem. The volume of visitors, wedding shoots and drone use grew to the point where the church restricted interior photography entirely and has asked people to treat it as a place of worship rather than a backdrop. That restriction is enforced and worth knowing before arriving with a camera. Outside, the lake and the turquoise water make the setting, and Tekapo sits inside the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, so the church under the Milky Way is the other standard image.

What you actually see

• The altar window - plain glass framing the lake and the Alps.
• The 1935 stone building - local stone and matai, small and plain.
• The dark sky setting - inside the Aoraki Mackenzie reserve.
• The lakefront - turquoise water directly outside.

When to go

Any season; clear nights for the stars. Early morning avoids the coach groups, which arrive steadily through the day.

Honest expectations

Photography inside is not permitted and this is enforced - it is a working church, not a photo location. It is very small and very busy. Drones are prohibited over the site.

Nearby

Mount John Observatory is above the village; Lake Pukaki and Aoraki are south-west.