Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo

Great church right in front of water. You cannot take photos inside the church but outside is no problem. Donation is appreciated. Come as early as possible to avoid people everywhere. This is a hot spot for tourist and you will find Chinese people are the majority. It is not easy to shoot galaxy at night as there are still many people around the site even after 12am. Yes, 12am. The light from the torch is a big challenge and I failed to have galaxy in my camera. Enjoy and good luck :)

It is a fairly old church for the area. It has been added to all the mega bus tour routes so very rare there will be a good photo. Also it is north facing so photos are not the best. Check out the pin drop “Sunset Rock” and hang out there 20 minutes after sunset for some photos below (April 2018).

Awesome spot with amazing views all around. Great for astrophotography too. Busy at all times. Technically you can only walk up to the church between 9am and 9pm. A bunch of photographers got shouted at by a cranky old lady for being on church grounds before 9am. Also very late opening. Probably about 60 people there waiting at 9.30am for it to open on the morning I was there. Would be 5 stars other than this. There’s also a slightly intimidating guy who stands immediately inside the door of the church looking for donations to enter. You don’t have to pay but certainly feel pressured. In short would be a perfect little gem if not for the people looking after the church.

Amazing place to see the emerald color lake and uncountable of stars! Visit there bit late night cuz there will be a lot of Chinese.. you can see how many people in there at 8:30pm 🤦‍♂️

What a magnificent monument! The beautiful and historical church is located on the shores of lake Takepo. Together they complement each other and make the visit to this part of the world so much more memorable! It is a must visit place when you are travelling south from Christchurch.