I’ve been to the Lake Tekapo many times. Every time I have stopped by the lake, took some photos and left. Pretty much what everybody does. I never really thought about what was beyond.
With my urge to get off the beaten path and explore New Zealand’s high country the best and only possible option to explore the Mackenzie area beyond the crowds, beyond what most of everyone else sees is taking a good ol 4WD tour out to the boonies, as we say in Canada!
I hoped in Landy the Land Rover with Tekapo Adventures for the afternoon on the Braemar station tour. Keen to learn about Mackenzie’s high country and excited to see the vast open landscape for myself.
Starting in the Tekapo township we quickly got off the main road and onto the gravel finding an old hut. Musterers and travelers making their way through the mountains, moving livestock and walking across New Zealand used this hut for shelter in times of emergency, protection and as a rest stop. This hut holds many stories from those of the past. A skull from a Himalayan Tahr is found hanging in front of the hut. The animal is unique to the Himalayan ranges in India and Nepal. It is an introduced species to New Zealand. They are goat-like animals with incredible ability to survive harsh environments and are found throughout New Zealand in the backcountry.
-
- Old Musterers hut
-
- Skull of a Himilayan Tahr.
It wasn’t long before we were off an actual road driving through tussocks surrounded by golden grasslands. What looked like New Zealand desert actually holds a lot of history and is home to some of the country’s most natural and unique landscapes. Cristina our driver and guide explained to us that because of the natural features and unique ecology, the Mackenzie Basin has been recognized for its stunning natural landscapes and has the highest protection outside conservation land from the government. This means there are restrictions on infrastructure, any sort of signs and development.
Tekapo Adventures have been granted special permission from Braemar station to access their land showing off Mackenzie’s high country. It really was amazing seeing a never-ending landscape of hills covered in tussock. We were surrounded by mountains as the Mackenzie basin is the largest intermontane basin within New Zealand. It can get really really hot and really cold giving the basin a very unique dryland ecosystem.
These kettle holes, which are depressions in the ground that fill with water are essential to a lot of bird and plant life in the area
We drove up the hills, through some puddles and stopped to take in the views. Moving through Braemar station we passed through paddocks of deer and the sheep yards before stopping to take in a full view of Lake Pukaki. If it was clear out Mount Cook would have been smiling right at us! Opposite to the famous drive to Aoraki it was so cool seeing things from the other side.
Many NZ high country stations farm deer for the meat. They are in large paddocks to roam around in!
Shearing shed for sheep
Lake Pukaki
We stopped for a snack and enjoyed the peace that comes with being in the high country. No crowds, birds chirping and the serenity of being amongst the mountains.
I learned so much about the area and felt so inspired by Cristina’s passion about Mackenzie’s high country and her love for adventure. She and her partner are adventure enthusiasts, hiking and biking NZ’s backcountry and really see the beauty wherever they go. I also felt a bit at home as Christina is Canadian (whoop whoop!).
Many people don’t see this part of New Zealand and move on to the more tourist areas. This is one tour I wouldn’t skip. Tekapo Adventures have a few options for tours and time so it’s so easy to fit it into a touring schedule!
I really want to encourage you to make time to explore further off the beaten path. Explore into the high country, into the places that really make New Zealand.
Check out the different tours with Tekapo Adventures here for your next 4WD experience!
Save this!
