Turquoise lake
Glacier colour.
Michal Klajban — CC BY-SA 4.0 · W. Bulach — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sky_xe — CC BY 3.0
A small stone church on the shore of turquoise Lake Tekapo in the middle of the South Island, built in 1935 as a memorial to the early settlers and one of the most photographed buildings in New Zealand, against the lake and the snow-capped Southern Alps. The lake's milky turquoise colour comes from fine rock flour ground by the mountain glaciers and carried down by the rivers. In late spring and early summer, November and December, lupins bloom along the shores in vivid purple and pink. The area is part of an international dark sky reserve, one of the best places on Earth to see the stars and the Milky Way with the naked eye, with night stargazing tours. The window behind the altar frames the lake and mountains like a painting. Visiting is free; the church is a place of worship and photography inside is not allowed out of respect. It is crowded by day, so come at sunrise or in the evening.
Glacier colour.
A natural painting.
At night.
Shore of Lake Tekapo, Mackenzie Basin, about three hours from Christchurch
Because of fine rock flour ground by glaciers and carried into the lake.