Points along the Te Araroa Trail: Lake Tekapo Village

 Visiting Lake Tekapo while on the Te Araroa Trail          

There are a number of small settlements you must pass through while walking the South Island legs of Te Araroa Trail and Lake Tekapo Village is one of them. Lake Tekapo (or Tekapo) is a small village on the northern edge of the Mackenzie Country between the Two Thumb Range and Twizel. 

Looking north to the Two Thumb Range from Lake Tekapo

It is a tourist stop over point on the route to Aoraki/Mt Cook, Wanaka and Queenstown and serves as the rural service hub for the local area. Every TA trekker will have to pass through Lake Tekapo as it sits right on the trail and is the only resupply point between two 3-4 day sections. There are about 100 permeant residents in Lake Tekapo but over the summer and long holiday weekends it is much busier as it is becoming a holiday home mecca. There are now over 1200 homes in Tekapo up from less than forty 25 years ago...

Main drag of Lake Tekapo Village...restaurants and gift shops

Map: Lake Tekapo Village, Mackenzie Basin

Tekapo has limited services but can provide the essentials such as restaurants, a supermarket, accommodation and it also acts as a transportation link with public transport to and from the village. Most people will spend 1-2 days here resting, cleaning gear and resupplying before setting off once again along the trail. 

Lake Tekapo from near the Church of the Good Sheppard

I thought it might be useful to look at what you can expect to find at Lake Tekapo and I will talk about resupply, accommodation options and things to do if you are spending a zero day here. 

Lake Tekapo Village:

My partner Karen and I recently visited Lake Tekapo Village and spent a day there while completing a camper van holiday around the lower South Island. We were heading north back to Christchurch from Aoraki/Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo was our last stop for this trip. 

Aoraki/Mt Cook from Glentanner Holiday Park

After checking into our accommodation we went down to the Church of the Good Shepard (no crowds at all...) where I proceeded to disassemble numerous shorefront rock cairns much to Karen's amusement. Have a read of my post about the damaging effects of unnecessary rock cairns I posted late last year. We visited the Dark Skies Centre and had a look at the various shops and the new 4-Square supermarket along the main drag. 

The Church of the Good Shepard, Lake Tekapo

The Two Thumb Range from near Lake Tekapo Village

The next morning we drove up to the top of Mt John for the spectacular views off the whole Mackenzie Basin. It costs $10 to drive up this private road to near the observatory but it is well worth it as you can see for tens of kilometers from the hill top carpark and cafe. 

Lake Tekapo Village from Mt John, Lake Tekapo

A rainbow visible from the top of Mt John, Mackenzie Basin

Lake Alexandria from the carpark on Mt John, Lake Tekapo

Our Jucy Chaser at the upper carpark, Mt John, Lake Tekapo

It was cloudy and windy the day we visited but on a clear day you can see as far as Aoraki/Mt Cook, Twizel and across Lake Tekapo to the Two Thumb Range. 

Food options in Lake Tekapo:

Supermarket: 

A brand new 4-Square supermarket was built in Tekapo in late 2019 and it makes shopping for food so much easier. It is a medium sized store but it has everything you will need to resupply for the next three to four day sections to Twizel or Geraldine. It is located at the western edge of town and is very obvious from the Tekapo-Twizel Road. It is the only food store in Tekapo so if it does not have what you need you will be heading for either Twizel or Geraldine. 

4-Square is an independent Co-Op brand which tends to have medium to small supermarkets in these smaller country towns. You will also find 4-Square markets in Havelock, Picton, Methven, Hanmer, Wanaka and Te Anau. They are slightly more expensive than some of the larger chain markets but not so much that the prices are exorbitant. 

You will get to know them well while walking the Te Araroa Trail. 

Lake Tekapo 4-Square: aisle 1 and2

Lake Tekapo 4-Square:aisle 3-4

As well as all the normal items you would expect they also sold Backcountry freeze dried meals, milk powder, gas canisters, stove alcohol (methylated spirits), first aid supplies and a limited supply of hardware items such as tape, socks, gloves, wool hats etc.. They had a good selection of meat, cheese and cold cuts to choose from including prepackaged salami, ham and chicken.

Lake Tekapo 4-Square:cold store items

The supermarket is the only off license place to buy alcohol and as with all supermarkets in New Zealand it sells wine, cider and beer but not spirits. 

Lake Tekapo 4-Square:frozen section...ice and pizzas!!!

I was mentally making a list as I walked the aisles and I could easily have put together a nice varied menu for at least a week from the goods sold in the store. The only other place to buy limited grocery items is at either of the two service stations in town but they mostly just sell snack foods.

Cafes, restaurants and takeaways:

There are a number of types and styles of restaurant in Lake Tekapo catering from takeaway meals right through to semi fine dining restaurants with table service. We went out to dinner as a treat for our last night in the camper van...our meal was at a nice Japanese restaurant called Kohan and we had some Kirin beer and sushi, tempura, tonkatsu and breaded lamb chops all of which were delicious. 

The side entrance to Kohan Japanese Restaurant, Lake Tekapo

There are a number of other restaurants and cafes in the village they range from cheap takeaways to full multicourse dining experiences. Some of the most obvious are Doughboys Bakery, Jade Palace Chinese Restaurant (a TA tradition...), Peppers Blue Water Cafe/Restaurant, Mackenzies Cafe Bar and Grill and the Dark Skies Diner. 

Jade Palace Restaurant, Lake Tekapo Village

You will need to check the opening times of all of these eateries as they have shortened their hours since Covid 19. 

Dark Skies diner, Dark Skies Center, Lake Tekapo Village

There are several more eateries but these are just a selection...try searching online for [restaurants + lake tekapo] for more information. Takeaway meals are available from Kohan/Jade Palace/Doughboys (fish and chips etc.) and a small sushi restaurant next to Aotea Gifts.

Accommodation in Lake Tekapo:

There is a full range of accommodation in Lake Tekapo Village from backpackers and campgrounds right through to four star high end resorts. We were staying at the Lakeview Motels and Holiday Park next to the new hot pool complex along the shore of Lake Tekapo.

Reception for Lake Tekapo Motels and Holiday Park

The camp has had a lot of work done on it recently and is now graced with top notch facilities. We had a lake front powered van site and could see down to the lakefront and out to Mt John and the Two Thumb Range on the far side of the lake. They have camp sites here as well as motel units with access to showers, cooking facilities and laundry.

Many camper-vans at the campgrounds, Lake Tekapo

Most people walking the Te Araroa Trail will stay at the YHA Lake Tekapo...it is brand new and very, very flash. They have a variety of rooms available from multi user bunkrooms right up to 2-4 person rooms with Queen Size beds and attached bathrooms. All YHA's have cooking/dining areas, a lounge and laundry facilities. 

YHA Lake Tekapo...two years old!!!

Lake Tekapo YHA has multiuser bunkrooms...

It is located right in the center of Tekapo and has stunning views out over the lake and the surrounding mountains. The 4-Square supermarket it 100 meters away and it is also located right next to the Kohan Restaurant, MacKenzies Bar and Grill and the Dark Skies Center. 

 

...YHA Lake Tekapo: nice double rooms/suites!!!

There are a couple of high end hotels and resort style motels in Tekapo the most obvious is the Peppers Bluewater Resort directly opposite the supermarket on the Tekapo-Twizel Highway. Karen has stayed here before and she said it was lovely with nicely appointed rooms, a cafe/restaurant and some good amenities. She raved about the resort so it sounds like a decent place to stay if you want to pamper yourself. 

Suite room at the Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo

There is also the Lake Tekapo Village Motel down near the YHA and Dark Skies Center. It has decent looking rooms ranging from self contained suites right through to top line apartments and is very centrally located for any service you might need. 

Suite at Lake Tekapo Village Motel

Personally I would probably stay in the YHA...it looks nice...certainly one of the better appointed YHA's I have seen here in New Zealand and good value for money. 

Things to do and see in Lake Tekapo:

Lake Tekapo is really a point most people will pass by or only stop in for a short break while driving between other larger towns. Regardless it is actually a nice destination to visit in its own right and if you are walking through on your way north or south you might as well have a look at the attractions there.

The footbridge over the Tekapo River

The first and most obvious (because you walk right past it) is the Church of the Good Sheppard down on the Lake Tekapo waterfront. This is a magnificent stone church with awesome vistas out to the lake and lovely stained glass windows inside. It is not open everyday because of the lack of tourists but even just walking around the outside is well worth the effort. 

Right next to the church is a statue to the sheepdog in the form of a collie on a stone plinth. Mustering sheep on the highcountry stations would be impossible without sheep dogs and I'm sure many a shepherd is closer to his/her dogs than their wife/husband/partner. They probably spend more time together anyway....

Statue to the Sheepdog, Lake Tekapo waterfront

 

There is easy access to the lake front near the Church of the Good Sheppard and you will often find people in the area taking photos with the lake as a backdrop. In the spring the whole lakefront is covered in colorful luppins in pink, purple, red, yellow and white. They are an invasive plant but they are also beautiful and have become so endemic they can never be fully eradicated. There is a pedestrian path from here back into the center of Tekapo Village which crosses the Tekapo River. 

Tekapo lakefront near the Church of the Good Sheppard, Lake Tekapo

Probably of interest to your average TA trekker will be the new swimming and hot pool complex down by the Lakeview Motels and Holiday Park. You follow the road around the lakefront towards Mt John and there is an ever expanding complex similar to Hanmer Springs. It is well set out and has spas, saunas, hot pools and swimming pools...entry is from $29 NZ dollars.

Lake Tekapo Pool complex, Lake Tekapo Village

If you are interested in astronomy and stargazing you should visit the Dark Skies Center and look into one of their Dark Skies Experiences. Lake Tekapo is a UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve with the internationally important Mt John Observatory to the west of the village. The whole Mackenzie Basin is one of the best places in the world to look at the night skies. There is a shop and cafe/restaurant at the center and nighttime tours to Mt John Observatory can be booked here.

Dark Skies Center at Lake Tekapo Village

If you want to keep those legs going how about a 2-3 hour walk to the summit of Mt John on the Tekapo-Mt John Walkway. It has some awesome views of the surrounding area as the Mackenzie Basin is fairly flat. There is a small cafe at the Observatory if you need refreshing after the climb. 

Lake Tekapo and Two Thumb Range from atop Mt John. 

There are many more things to see and do in Lake Tekapo such as 4 W/D tours, ATV tours, horse riding tours, bike hire, MTB tracks, hunting and trout fishing. You may or may not have the time, inclination or money to indulge but you could certainly spend a couple of jam packed adventurous days in the area. 

NOBO/SOBO from Lake Tekapo:

After Lake Tekapo village you are setting off SOBO along the hydro canals for Lake Pukaki about 30 odd kilometers away. You can either walk this section or hire a bike and ride the section as there is a MTB track from Lake Tekapo to Twizel. You start from near the Tekapo River bridge you should check the current Te Araroa Trail Notes for access requirements....

View out over the Mackenzie Basin from Mt John, Lake Tekapo

The hydro canal between Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki

From Lake Pukaki you head further south...first to Twizel and the Lake Ohau Track and then onwards to Lake Hawea, Wanaka and Queenstown. You are on the last 400 odd kilometers of the trail heading south to Bluff...

...Lake Pukaki is your next destination!

If walking NOBO you are heading into the Two Thumb Range towards the Rangitata River, Rakaia River and Arthurs Pass NP. If going this way you need to get onto Lillybank Road at the eastern edge of Tekapo and head on out into the backcountry.

 

Looking towards Tekapo Village from Lillybank Road

Cheers all...I hope to see some of you on the trail!!! 

Going on a camper van holiday....

 Touring the lower South Island in a Camper Van...

Karen and I have just finished one of our bucket list items..going on a camper van holiday. We spent the last week in a Jucy van traveling around the lower South Island and staying in holiday camps and motor home camps for six nights.

Our Jucy Chaser van at Haast Campgrounds and Motels....

Both of us have wanted to go for a holiday in a camper van for years but with Covid and the dearth of international visitors the prices for this type of holiday have fallen to a point where it was a practical reality. The total cost of van hire, insurance, campsite fees and petrol for six days was around $1500. That is not much less than you would pay to stay in motels, book-a-bach's etc. for the same length of time. 

A look at the Jucy Chaser Campervan:

We had a look at all the camper van companies several months ago and finally settled on Jucy Vans as the company we would book with. Jucy camper-vans are a bit smaller than some of the other rental campers but they were very competitively priced and had all the conveniences we needed for the two of us. We had a self contained Jucy Chaser van with seats for three people (if one of them was a small child), two beds, a toilet, kitchen and shower.

Jucy Chaser: the fridge and seating arrangement in the interior

The van had a refrigerator in the back and a set of bench seats with a removable table so you have somewhere to eat your meals. Because we were staying in campgrounds each night we never needed the toilet or shower as the campgrounds had these facilities available. If you can avoid using the cassette toilet you don't need to clean it....

Jucy Chaser: light and airy inside the rear of the van

I am a tall bugger so we had to sleep on the top bunk as it is a bit longer than the lower bunk. It was not so easy to get my 50+ year old carcass up there...I had to slither into bed like a snake each night!!!

The top and bottom beds made up in a Jucy Chaser

The van was right on the minimum size two people need to camp but both Karen and I agree that if we go for another campervan holiday we will hire a much larger van as we both found it a bit cramped at times. 

Arthurs Pass and the West Coast...

We picked the van up from the Jucy depot at Christchurch Airport and set out on our first day of the trip. We were going to Hokitika on the West Coast via Arthurs Pass. We made good time across the Plains stopping for the obligatory pie at the Sheffield Pie Shop (Steak and Mushroom for me and Lamb and Rosemary for Karen...). 

On the way to Arthurs Pass with distant clouds...

It was wet and rainy between Sheffield and Arthurs Pass but cleared a bit as we crossed over the pass so we stopped for a look at the Otira Viaduct.

Looking down on the Otira Viaduct from the lookout

We made good progress and arrived in Hokitika around four pm which allowed us to go to the supermarket and stock up for the first couple of days. Because of the lack of storage in the van we were buying food only every 2-3 days so we didn't have too much loose gear in the back of the camper.

Jucy Chaser: parked at the old Hokitika Mental Hospital

We stayed that night at a very alternate campsite at the old Mental Health Hospital on the hills above Hokitika. They are using some of the old buildings for backpackers accommodation and have powered and unpowered sites around the grounds. 

Great views of the Hokitika Coastline from our spot

Karen is rummaging in the Jucy Chaser cab

There are excellent views of the coast line from up near the hospital and we had a gorgeous sunset that first night. 

Lovely sunset at the end of day one...

We awoke on day two to rain from early in the morning so after a quick shower we packed our gear and went for a nice breakfast down in Hokitika. The town was very quiet and we picked up a couple of items from the hardware store for the van..a big sponge to mop up any rainwater on the floor, a bucket to use as a bin and a mat to set outside the door.

Karen packing gear at the start of day two in Hokitika...

Day two was our longest driving day and it took us most of the day to drive south to Haast where we were staying for the night. We had planned to do a number of walks along the way but it absolutely pissed with rain the whole day so all those walks got cancelled. 

In the Jucy Chaser enroute to Franz Josef Glacier...

We still managed to stop at a number of spots along the way...we drove up to the Franz Josef Glacier carpark and looked at the views from there. We stopped at Fox Glacier for lunch before continuing down the coast stopping at the various lakes which lay just off the state highway. We visited Lakes Ianthe, Mapourika and Paringa on the way and quickly jumped out to take photos between the heavy rain showers. 

At Lake Ianthe between Ross and Harihari...

Lake Mapourika...north of Franz Josef

Lake Paringa campsite north of Haast

A Bellbird we spotted at the Lake Paringa campsite

We stayed that night at the Haast River Motels and Holiday Park and it was very nice with a hard pad for the van, good showers and a nice cooking-camp shelter to use in an old converted aircraft hanger. Over night we had a massive thunderstorm with heavy rain, wind and lightning from around 9pm to 6 am in the morning. We slept o.k. but it wasn't so nice going to the toilet at 4 am with all that rain falling. 

Our Jucy van at the Hast River Campground and Motel

The camp cooking shelter and amenity block at Haast

Amenities at Haast River Campground and Motel

The next morning the weather had cleared a lot so after breakfast we went down to Haast Beach and walked up the coast for a couple of kilometers. We were the only people in sight for kilometers in either direction and the beach was stormy, windswept and remote as only this region can be...

At Haast Beach on the Haast-Jackson Bay Road- view south

At Haast Beach looking inland to Marks & Mataketake Ranges

At Haast Beach looking north along the West Coast

Before setting off for the day we visited the DOC Visitor Centre in Haast and I got a brochure for tracks and walkways along the Haast-Lake Hawea Highway that we put to good use later on...

Haast Pass and Wanaka...

On day three we were driving to Wanaka over Haast Pass...I haven't travelled this way in over twenty years and it was interesting to see how the road has changed in that time. The last time I went over Haast Pass it was a gravel road from Makarora to Lake Hawea....not anymore.

At Thunder Creek Falls, Mt Aspiring NP

SH 6 travels right through the heart of Mt Aspiring National Park and there are a great many sites to visit along the route of the road. We stopped at a number of locations along the highway to go visit the various waterfalls and bush tracks on offer in this valley. 

It was raining for most of the time we were on the western side of the divide so we couldn't do the longer walks to the Blue Pools and the Roaring Billy Falls as they were just too far away in that very wet weather. 

The Jucy van parked at Fantail Falls, Mt Aspiring NP

We did visit the Thunder Creek Falls, Fantail Falls, Gates of Hast and the Cameron Creek Track which I will cover in a number of posts over the next couple of weeks. 

Fantail Falls, Mt Aspiring NP

Cameron Creek Track entrance...Mt Aspiring NP

Cameron Creek from the lookout...

We eventually arrived in Wanaka and went to the National Transport & Toy Museum it has an odd collection of old toys, vehicles, aircraft and machinery over several big hangers. 

A early model Centurion Tank at the National Transport and Toy Museum Wanaka

It is an impressive but quirky collection and had some historically significant items like a working Bofors gun, a set of Cadillacs El Dorados from the late 1960's to the mid 1980's, a Lockheed C60 Lodestar, a replica SE5a WW1 fighter, a running WWII era Bren gun carrier, a 1970's Jensen supercar, Star Wars/Star Trek toys, a collection of original 1950's Airfix models (in their boxes), a Mig 15, Mig19 and Mig 21 and a collection of fire appliances from the early 1900's right up to modern times. 

Go have a look you will be amazed with what they have in there...wow!!!

One of the few remaining C60 Lodestar aircraft in the world...SE5a replica...

Another eclectic mix of vehicles at the National Transport & Toy Museum Wanaka

We also visited the lake shore and the supermarket we settled down for the night in our spot at the Wanaka Top 10 Holiday Park. 

At the Wanaka shorefront...nice weather for a change!

This was the most expensive campground we visited at $45 per night but the amenities were lovely with a brand new cooking/living shelter, toilet block and laundry. 

It was well worth the price of the camping site...

The Jucy van at the Wanaka Top 10 Campgrounds...

That night we could hear all the people yahoo-ing down at the bars in Wanaka but the campground itself was very quiet and peaceful and we both had a good nights sleep. In the morning we did some van maintenance...emptying the grey water tank and filling up with fresh water. The other task you might need to do is emptying the toilet but as we were not using it I didn't get to do this most lovely of jobs...

Mt Alta from the Wanaka Top 10 campground...

We visited the famous Wanaka tree...then had breakfast and we also had a look around the shops in Wanaka. I got a MSR salt and pepper shaker for my tramping trips and a cheap pair of Icebreaker gloves in a sale at one of the outdoor retailers.

The famous Wanaka tree with the Buchanan Peaks to rear

On the way out of Wanaka we visited Puzzling World for about an hour and a half and I have to say it was one of the best attractions we visited on this trip. It has a awesome maze and a whole collection of weird and wonderful optical illusions that will bend your mind. If you ever go to Wanaka go have a look as it was very interesting and quite cheap at $25 per adult.

 

Exterior of Puzzling World in Wanaka

We will be coming back to Wanaka some time in the near future as we could easily have spent several days there. There is the Warbird Collection, wineries, a quirky movie theatre and lots of interesting walks and tracks we didn't get to visit.  

Aoraki/Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo...

From Wanaka we set off to Aoraki/Mt Cook along the Mackenzie Highway...we stopped in Omararama for a break but other than that we drove straight to the Hermitage. Karen has never visited Mt Cook before and I have not been here since the early 2000's so we were both looking forward to it. As you can see in the photo below it was a lovely clear day and we had an unrestricted view of the Cloud Piercer...

Aoraki/Mt Cook from SH 80...Mt Cook Highway

We got to Aoraki at 3 pm so we didn't have a lot of time to do any of the varied activities available there. We had a drive around the village and then went to the White Horse campsite to walk the Kea Point Track. From Kea Point you have an excellent view of the Mueller Glacial Lake and the Mt Sefton Massif. 

The Jucy Chaser at Mt Cook with Seally Range to rear

Moraine wall of Mueller Glacier, Kea Point

We were staying at Glentanner Park that night...I looked at the White Horse Campsite but it has few amenities while Glentanner had excellent brand new ones. The campground had two cooking shelters, a very nice BBQ area, new amenity block and views out to Lake Pukaki and the surrounding mountains. There was a school group from Dunedin staying in the campground but they were cool and not too noisy. 

Nice tree covered sites at Glentanner Park Campground...

We were only 20 km's from Mt Cook village so it was a simple 15  minute drive back to Mt Cook the next morning to visit the Hermitage. We visited the permanent Climbing/Edmund Hillary museum there and had morning tea in the Old Mountaineers Cafe. We have a trip booked to Aoraki/Mt Cook for early June so come back then to see more posts about the area. We will be staying at the Hermitage and walking some tracks..weather permitting of course!!!

Mt Cook Hermitage...Glencoe Wing

Mt Wakefield from the Old Mountaineer's Bar, Hermitage/Mt Cook

We stopped at the Lake Pukaki lookout on the way to Lake Tekapo to look back up the valley towards Aoraki/Mt Cook. There is an very nice information kiosk there with a perfectly framed photo opportunity of Lake Pukaki.

There is a salmon shop there as well and they had some beautiful looking products. We would have brought some but I didn't fancy hauling expensive salmon around in the inefficient fridge we had in the van. Go have a look at the information kiosk and shop the next time you are passing through. 

View to Aoraki/Mt Cook from Lake Pukaki Dam

Information Kiosk at the Pukaki Dam lookout...

Plenty of information about the area in the Pukaki Dam Information Kiosk

We spent most of a day in Lake Tekapo which was our last stop for this trip. We were staying at the Lakeview Motels and Holiday Park next to the new hot pool complex along the shore of Lake Tekapo. The camp has had a lot of work done on it recently and is now graced with top notch facilities. We had a lake front site and could see down to the lakefront and out to Mt John and the Two Thumb Range on the far side of the lake. 

Many camper-vans at the campgrounds, Lake Tekapo

We went down to the Church of the Good Shepard (no crowds at all...) where I proceeded to disassemble numerous shorefront rock cairns much to Karen's amusement. Have a read of my post about the damaging effects of unnecessary rock cairns I posted late last year. We visited the Dark Skies Centre and had a look at the various shops and the new 4-Square supermarket along the main drag. 

The Church of the Good Shepard, Lake Tekapo

The Two Thumb Range from near Lake Tekapo Village

We went out to dinner as a treat for our last night in the camper van...our meal was at a nice Japanese restaurant called Kohan and we had some Kirin beer and sushi, tempura, tonkatsu and breaded lamb chops all of which were delicious. 

The side entrance to Kohan Japanese Restaurant, Lake Tekapo

The next morning we drove up to the top of Mt John for the spectacular views off the whole Mackenzie Basin. It costs $10 to drive up this private road to near the observatory but it is well worth it as you can see for tens of kilometers from the hill top carpark and café. 

Lake Tekapo Village from Mt John, Lake Tekapo

A rainbow visible from the top of Mt John, Mackenzie Basin

Lake Alexandria from the carpark on Mt John, Lake Tekapo

Our Jucy Chaser at the upper carpark, Mt John, Lake Tekapo

We stopped in Fairlie on the way home for lunch and had a pie and jam donut from the famous bakery/pie shop there. They were magnificent and the bakehouse is rightly well known as a great place to eat. There was a line out the door and up the street as we were leaving...

Having some lunch at the Fairlie Bakehouse...

We both enjoyed this trip and would like to do more travelling in a camper van or motor home. Karen and I are already planning another camper van holiday...this time to the north west of the South Island. We are thinking to go up the West Coast to Karamea via Lewis Pass and Westport...we might possibly walk the first day of the Heaphy Track. Then drive back down the West Coast to Punakaiki for a night before heading to Hokitika for a couple of days and thence to Christchurch. 

We are looking at August of this year so keep an eye out for that trip....