Dark Sky Country! - Lake Tekapo & The Church of the Good Shepherd

Mackenzie Country is big sky country: on a clear night it's the world's biggest dark sky reserve. Nestled on the edge of Lake Tekapo is The Church of the Good Shepherd. Built as a memorial to the early pioneers of the region, this well-proportioned little church looks out over the breathtaking lake and surrounding Southern Alps. 

The area is peppered with a distinctive mountain flower, Lupins. Often clustered together in various tones of magenta, violet and white, the isolation of these solitary flowers made for an interesting foreground to the church:

The evening sun casts a warm glow over the old stones.

The near-full moon was bright in the sky, impeding our chance to stargaze... Not to be denied, we set an alarm for 3am (once the moon had set) and returned to the church. It seemed the whole Universe was with us!

Despite the early hour, we were alert enough to experiment with long exposure, whilst using the van headlights to selectively light the church at the opportune moment. We even managed to get Mel in the shot: 

Following the awesome sights of the night sky, we headed out the following day to explore the lake shore in glorious sunshine. 

The colour of the water looked almost artificial as the sun reflected the glacial silt. 

The path we took rolled over the tussock hills, and the views rolled on as far as the eye could see...

... and the eye could see right out as far as Mt. Cook.

The South Island continues to impress!

Dave couldn't resist trying his hand again at star-photography, so the alarm went at 3am (again!) and into the cold Dave went. The result was again pretty cool with three satellites making there way through the long exposed frame: