Unquestionably, Tekapo’s most popular and most famous attraction is The Church of the Good Shepherd. This quaint little stone church was built in 1935 and was the first church in the Mackensie Basin area. It is so popular however, it is almost impossible to capture the church in an image without also capturing large groups of tourists within the same frame. This image of the church is multiple frames that have been blended to remove the tourists. I was at this location from about 8pm until after midnight (the sun doesn’t set at this time of year until after 9pm) and there were no less than 25 people here at any one time.

Another great feature of Tekapo is that it is part of a Dark Sky Reserve, meaning there is virtually no light pollution in the sky from city lights and traffic etc, so at night the skies simply look incredible. At the right time of the month, this is a huge drawcard for photographers and the perfect place for astrophotography. Sadly, on a full moon like the night we were there, it’s not quite as impressive to photograph, but it is still stunning to experience.