Views, walks, and coffee and food. If you're lucky, you may catch an astronomer floating about to give you a short tour of the observatory, or perhaps show you a star (or the sun!) in the daytime through special telescopes. Drive time from Tekapo is only 15 min, or you can walk up the trail starting at Tekapo Springs. The road is closed outside of cafe operating hours to protect the Observatory, so check the opening times first. Being up so high (1,000 metres above sea level) the road is occasionally closed due to high winds or snow. The narrow road cannot carry vehicles larger than 22-seater buses, and as the observatory is private-lease land, any commercial / tourist ventures must get permission from Earth & Sky before going up.
Local
Eat and Drink
- Kohan Restaurant Lake Tekapo - Lake Tekapo (1.5 miles) - With stunning views from the window, Kohan which means ‘Lakeside’ in Japanese has been in Tekapo...
See and Do
- Mackenzie Alpine Horse Trekking Lake Tekapo (1.1 miles) - Experience the Mackenzie High Country on horseback. Let us take you on a memorable trek through tuss...
- Air Safaris - Lake Tekapo Lake Teakpo (1.3 miles) - Join Air Safaris on a flight of a lifetime, exploring New Zealand's highest mountains and larges...
- Tekapo Helicopters Lake Tekapo (1.5 miles) - Enjoy the most breathtaking way to see the southern alps, including Mt Cook,Fox and Franz Josef glac...
- Moonlight & Starlight Guest Accommodation Lake Tekapo (1.9 miles) - Moonlight & Starlight Guest Accommodation offers guests a range of semi and fully self contained hol...
- Gem Alpaca Stud Fairlie (19.1 miles) - Here at Gem Alpacas we offer Farm Visits We are perfectly placed on the Main Highway from Christchurc...
