What's on in Lake Tekapo (Tekapo), New Zealand through the year

Peak crowds — Lupins along the lake, New Zealand summer holidays

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Lupins along the lake (15 Nov – 10 Jan (usually)), New Zealand summer holidays (20 Dec – 1 Feb (usually))

Busy — New Zealand summer holidays

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: New Zealand summer holidays (20 Dec – 1 Feb (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Holiday

  Easter long weekend

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays, and on Good Friday and Easter Sunday most shops must stay shut unless local rules or a tourist-area exemption let them open. New Zealanders make it a long weekend away, so motels, holiday parks and campsites fill. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Easter long weekend, Anzac Day

• Nature

  Larches turn on the lakeshore

  10 Apr – 15 May · usuallyAutumn colour

  The planted larches and poplars around the church and along the canal road go gold through late April, against water that stays the same improbable colour all year.

• Nature

  Milky Way season

  15 Apr – 15 Sep · usuallyDark-sky season

  The town sits inside a dark sky reserve with its street lights shielded for the observatory. The galactic core rides highest on the long cold nights, and the tours run whatever the season. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Anzac Day

  25–27 AprNational holidayClosures

  25 April remembers those who served in war. Dawn services are held at memorials in towns across the country, and by law most shops stay closed until 1 pm. When it falls on a weekend the public holiday moves to the Monday. Source ↗

Still on: Easter long weekend (3–6 Apr)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Larches turn on the lakeshore (10 Apr – 15 May (usually)), Milky Way season (15 Apr – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Roundhill ski season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Roundhill ski season

  25 Jun – 20 Sep · usuallyCrowded

  The local field is half an hour up the road, family-run, and home to a rope tow once billed as the longest in the world. It opens later and shuts earlier than the Queenstown fields. Source ↗

Still on: Milky Way season (15 Apr – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Roundhill ski season, Term 2 (July) break in New Zealand

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Milky Way season (15 Apr – 15 Sep (usually)), Roundhill ski season (25 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

Busy — Roundhill ski season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Milky Way season (15 Apr – 15 Sep (usually)), Roundhill ski season (25 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Roundhill ski season, Term 3 (Sept/Oct) break in New Zealand

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Milky Way season (15 Apr – 15 Sep (usually)), Roundhill ski season (25 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

Busy — Term 3 (Sept/Oct) break in New Zealand, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Busy — Lupins along the lake

• Nature

  Lupins along the lake

  15 Nov – 10 Jan · usuallyWildflowers & bloomsCrowded

  Russell lupins take the lakeshore and the river flats for about six weeks from late November. They are an introduced weed the region is trying to control, and they photograph beautifully anyway.

Peak crowds — Lupins along the lake, New Zealand summer holidays

• Holiday

  New Zealand summer holidays

  20 Dec – 1 Feb · usuallySchool holidaysCrowded

  Every car between Christchurch and Queenstown stops at the church for a photograph, and in January that is a queue. Early morning is the only quiet hour the lakefront gets. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Christmas Day closures

  25–26 DecChristmas & New YearClosures

  Christmas Day is one of the few days most shops must close by law, and many cafes, restaurants and tours shut too. Boxing Day is a public holiday as well, when shops reopen for the sales and the roads fill with families heading off on summer holiday. Source ↗

Still on: Lupins along the lake (15 Nov – 10 Jan (usually))