Battle of the Lake Towns
Which is the nation’s best lake town, Taupo¯ or Tekapo?
DESTINATION: TEKAPO, by AUDREY MALONE.
It was the middle of summer; the sun was blazing down, dry and relentless as it gets in Tekapo.
I was hurtling down the world’s biggest inflatable slide, screaming, while my friend, also in his 30’s, was doing the same on the other side.
I was the fastest down, and as I stood up to do a victory dance, I slipped over and bruised my upper thigh, really badly.
But you couldn’t take the smile off my face.
As I looked around, I could see the azure blue lake, tussock grass, snow-capped peaks, and rugged hills.
The extremes of weather, from the burning heat in summer to transforming into a picturesque winter wonderland dusted in snow, have been matched by the dynamic scenery surrounding it.
Lake Tekapo is postcard picture perfect, and when I drive over the hill, my heart starts to flutter like I am about to see a lover.
There is something about the small South Island town in the middle of the MacKenzie country that is pretty special, but I don’t need to tell you that – it’s one of the most Instagrammed images in
‘‘Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey and Mindy Kaling all raved about the area on their various social media accounts...’’ AUDREY MALONE
the country.
Like Taupo¯ , Tekapo is a tourist town built around a lake, with busloads of tourists stopping or passing through every day, to gaze on its wonder. Tekapo is a lot smaller, but we all know good things come in small packages.
Tekapo is a place to visit at all times of day and year. At night time, you can look up and see the spectacular display the stars are putting on, while during the day there are plenty of activities.
Go for a walk up Mt John, whip around the lake in the summer and have a hoon on your water skis, or as I like to do, go and find a small bay down the road, which is isolated and allows me to take my top off and soak up the sun, getting no tan lines, floating around in the tepid water while cooling off enough to be refreshed.
The thing with Tekapo is it has an otherworldly feel to it.
It is in New Zealand, but not the New Zealand as most know it – it’s a place you go to to get lost in its beauty. Or engaged.
Over Easter, Hamilton man John Lawrenson took his girlfriend, Nicole, to Tekapo. They could have gone to Taupo¯ , it’s just a hop skip and a jump from home, but he wants to impress this one. He fancies her, a lot.
‘‘Tekapo over Taupo¯ any day. It’s just beautiful.’’
And Lawrenson did what so many other people do when they visit the small town; he chucked a photo up on Instagram.
Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey and Mindy Kaling all raved about the area on their various social media accounts when filming Wrinkle In Time in the area. And boy oh boy did they rave.
On the back of hanging around in the area, Oprah used the hashtag #boydoilovenewzealand and is making the hike half way around the world to come back to celebrate her 65th birthday.
She could have gone anywhere in the world, including Taupo¯ , but it’s the South Island highlands that wooed her. TALE OF THE TAPE Estimated population: Tekapo 420 vs Taupo¯ 24,500
Surface area of lake: Tekapo 87km2 vs Taupo¯ 616km2
Sunshine hours in January: Tekapo 254 vs Taupo¯ 224
Distance to closest ski field: Tekapo 32km vs Taupo¯ 104km
Days of ground frost per year: Tekapo 164 vs Taupo¯ 84