ONE OF THE BEST VIEWS IN NEW ZEALAND
06 FEBRUARY 2024
Which Path Do You Choose?
Mt John has an elevation gain of around 300m, which means it offers the best views in Tekapo and it's also one of the best places in THE WORLD to see the incredible stars from, which is why it's part of the International Dark Sky Reserve and has an observatory at the summit.
We visit Tekapo a few times a year on our travels around New Zealand and every time we're there, we head up Mt John because one cannot get enough of these views! We have always driven up and when we spent summer 2024 in Tekapo, we decided it was time to walk up.
There are a few options when it comes to getting to the summit of Mt John - there's driving up (totally worth it, especially if you're short on time), hiking up through the forest to the summit and back down again (takes 1.5 hours), doing the forest plus the summit track at the top, or doing the full loop track up through the forest and via the lakeside (8.9km track that takes 3 hours). If you go clockwise on the loop track, you pass through the forest first before coming to the summit of Mt John and then come down via the lakeside and I know you're a smart cookie and can figure out what anti-clockwise entails ;)
We chose to go through the forest first, which was a 45-minute climb through the forest before coming to a clearing and reaching the summit of Mt John. The track starts by climbing high above Tekapo Springs, where you can look down and see the pools and activities that are going on. Depending on the season it may be mini golf, the big waterslide or the Jumpanaut in summer, or ice skating, snow tubing or ice hockey in the winter. We love soaking in the pools here and we recommend the snow tubing, we did it last winter and it was so much fun!
We started early in the morning as we knew once we got past the forest, there would be no shelter from the hot summer sun, so we went as early as possible. An important thing to note about this track is that no access is allowed on the summit before 9am and after 4pm, so you will need to plan your hike around this. We left at 8am and knew it would take us around an hour to reach the summit because it was all up hill and we knew there would be plenty of places for us to stop and take photos. The good thing about starting early is there are less people on the track. We passed a few ladies but it was so quiet apart from that.
The forest was nice and cool, definitely jacket worthy, which can be surprising in the middle of summer but the alpine towns in New Zealand are always cold in the evening and mornings (which we love because we get a break from the heat!). We saw a few pink fox gloves which were so pretty and they reminded us of the ones on the Kea Point Track in Mt Cook National Park. The track was a dusty dirt/rock trail that zig zagged its way through the forest, up Mt John.
We visit Tekapo a few times a year on our travels around New Zealand and every time we're there, we head up Mt John because one cannot get enough of these views! We have always driven up and when we spent summer 2024 in Tekapo, we decided it was time to walk up.
There are a few options when it comes to getting to the summit of Mt John - there's driving up (totally worth it, especially if you're short on time), hiking up through the forest to the summit and back down again (takes 1.5 hours), doing the forest plus the summit track at the top, or doing the full loop track up through the forest and via the lakeside (8.9km track that takes 3 hours). If you go clockwise on the loop track, you pass through the forest first before coming to the summit of Mt John and then come down via the lakeside and I know you're a smart cookie and can figure out what anti-clockwise entails ;)
We chose to go through the forest first, which was a 45-minute climb through the forest before coming to a clearing and reaching the summit of Mt John. The track starts by climbing high above Tekapo Springs, where you can look down and see the pools and activities that are going on. Depending on the season it may be mini golf, the big waterslide or the Jumpanaut in summer, or ice skating, snow tubing or ice hockey in the winter. We love soaking in the pools here and we recommend the snow tubing, we did it last winter and it was so much fun!
We started early in the morning as we knew once we got past the forest, there would be no shelter from the hot summer sun, so we went as early as possible. An important thing to note about this track is that no access is allowed on the summit before 9am and after 4pm, so you will need to plan your hike around this. We left at 8am and knew it would take us around an hour to reach the summit because it was all up hill and we knew there would be plenty of places for us to stop and take photos. The good thing about starting early is there are less people on the track. We passed a few ladies but it was so quiet apart from that.
The forest was nice and cool, definitely jacket worthy, which can be surprising in the middle of summer but the alpine towns in New Zealand are always cold in the evening and mornings (which we love because we get a break from the heat!). We saw a few pink fox gloves which were so pretty and they reminded us of the ones on the Kea Point Track in Mt Cook National Park. The track was a dusty dirt/rock trail that zig zagged its way through the forest, up Mt John.
Tekapo Springs hot pools and mini golf course
We thought a shortcut would be easier... it wasn't!
Sit And Enjoy The Views
Once we reached the end of the forest, there was one last push up the hill before we came to a huge, flat clearing filled with green and golden grass. The views from here were beautiful and we could see across to the snowy Southern Alps - yip, they're snowy all year round and completely white in winter!
At this point, we were almost at the summit, there were just a few stairs to tackle but once we got up those, we were finally at the summit! Before we hit the stairs, we sat on a bench seat we came across on the path and enjoyed the view. It's a shame there was no shade here because it would be such an awesome spot to chill out at for a couple of hours. It was pretty peaceful and there was hardly anyone about and I imagine it doesn't really get that busy, as most people drive up Mt John and not walk up.
At this point, we were almost at the summit, there were just a few stairs to tackle but once we got up those, we were finally at the summit! Before we hit the stairs, we sat on a bench seat we came across on the path and enjoyed the view. It's a shame there was no shade here because it would be such an awesome spot to chill out at for a couple of hours. It was pretty peaceful and there was hardly anyone about and I imagine it doesn't really get that busy, as most people drive up Mt John and not walk up.
The Southern Alps
A Slice Of Cake Is HOW MUCH?!
The summit of Mt John offers one of the most INCREDIBLE views in New Zealand! From up here, you get the best view of Lake Tekapo and on a sunny day, the vivid blue colour of the lake is hard to believe!
You get a 360-deg view of the area including Lake McGregor, Lake Alexandrina, the Southern Alps and Tekapo town. We always head up Mt John on a clear day so we can see the entire view, without any clouds blocking the way, plus, Lake Tekapo is always waaaaay more blue on a clear day.
We had promised the girls a slice of cake once we got to the Astro Cafe at the top of Mt John, as we enjoyed a few slices last summer and their carrot cake was one of the best we had ever had and we knew how much they loved them! Well.... the cafe had put their prices up to $15 a slice and there was no way we were paying $30 for 2 slices of cake.... even if it was the best we'd ever had! These prices were only put up over the Christmas season, as I had a friend visit in November and they were only $8 then (same as we paid the summer before). Tekapo is relies heavily on tourism, so you're always going to pay higher prices in tourist areas... but this was ridiculous. The rest of their prices were also extremely high, including a salmon bagel for $22 and a ham croissant for $16... eek! I'm not usually one to write negatively about a business but these prices were ridiculous and it's such a shame to hike the prices up so heavily over Christmas and NYs.
The cafe is open 9am - 2pm (with last orders at 1:30pm) Fri - Mon but the summit is open an extra two hours, until 4pm. There are tables and bench seats outside the cafe and everyone seems to just sit and picnic up there, whether they bought the food from the cafe or not. Luckily we had brought a bunch of food with us to fill our tummies, now that cafe was off the table. We snacked on fresh blueberries, pea snacks, nectarines and macadamia nuts - yummy! Most of the food we take on hikes is snacky type foods as we find that it is the easiest to transport, less likely to go soggy and snacking on hikes is easier on the tummy than eating a huge meal.
Read our Mt John blog here, which talks more about the cafe and views.
You get a 360-deg view of the area including Lake McGregor, Lake Alexandrina, the Southern Alps and Tekapo town. We always head up Mt John on a clear day so we can see the entire view, without any clouds blocking the way, plus, Lake Tekapo is always waaaaay more blue on a clear day.
We had promised the girls a slice of cake once we got to the Astro Cafe at the top of Mt John, as we enjoyed a few slices last summer and their carrot cake was one of the best we had ever had and we knew how much they loved them! Well.... the cafe had put their prices up to $15 a slice and there was no way we were paying $30 for 2 slices of cake.... even if it was the best we'd ever had! These prices were only put up over the Christmas season, as I had a friend visit in November and they were only $8 then (same as we paid the summer before). Tekapo is relies heavily on tourism, so you're always going to pay higher prices in tourist areas... but this was ridiculous. The rest of their prices were also extremely high, including a salmon bagel for $22 and a ham croissant for $16... eek! I'm not usually one to write negatively about a business but these prices were ridiculous and it's such a shame to hike the prices up so heavily over Christmas and NYs.
The cafe is open 9am - 2pm (with last orders at 1:30pm) Fri - Mon but the summit is open an extra two hours, until 4pm. There are tables and bench seats outside the cafe and everyone seems to just sit and picnic up there, whether they bought the food from the cafe or not. Luckily we had brought a bunch of food with us to fill our tummies, now that cafe was off the table. We snacked on fresh blueberries, pea snacks, nectarines and macadamia nuts - yummy! Most of the food we take on hikes is snacky type foods as we find that it is the easiest to transport, less likely to go soggy and snacking on hikes is easier on the tummy than eating a huge meal.
Read our Mt John blog here, which talks more about the cafe and views.
Lake Alexandrina
We Are Most Definitely Lost
We set off from the summit of Mt John to find the track that would take us down to the lakeside and back to our car. Here's the thing.... the track isn't well sign posted at all, so if you don't know where you're going, then you'll end up walking around the summit like we did, trying to find out where it is!
We knew where the track went along the lake, but we couldn't find the track to it. We found a worn track by the homestead on Mt John and we thought that we were on the right path buuuuut we definitely weren't! We walked along and down the mountain on a well worn and narrow path for about 10-minutes before we realised this definitely wasn't the right way. Lath walked down to a valley to see if he could spot the path... which he did... but it was waaaay down by the lake and the path we were on wasn't going to take us there - it was far too steep!
After another 5-minutes of wandering 'hopefully' in the right direction, we spotted a couple a few hundred metres ahead of us on what we realised was the right path.... hooray! The kids weren't too pleased at this little side quest we went on, oops! The crazy thing is, looking back at the track once we were on it, we started only about 20-metres away from the actual trailhead.
It was great to finally be on track so we could enjoy the hike and get back into town for an ice cream (a must-do after any hike in summer... right?). I had read that the track took 2 hours but apparently, I should have gone to Specsavers because it was actually 3. This hike was not going how we thought it was at all! I'm usually such a great planner but this one slipped right through my fingers! It's all part of adventuring though, and we learn to go with the flow because when something doesn't how you planned, it doesn't mean it's wrong ;)
We knew where the track went along the lake, but we couldn't find the track to it. We found a worn track by the homestead on Mt John and we thought that we were on the right path buuuuut we definitely weren't! We walked along and down the mountain on a well worn and narrow path for about 10-minutes before we realised this definitely wasn't the right way. Lath walked down to a valley to see if he could spot the path... which he did... but it was waaaay down by the lake and the path we were on wasn't going to take us there - it was far too steep!
After another 5-minutes of wandering 'hopefully' in the right direction, we spotted a couple a few hundred metres ahead of us on what we realised was the right path.... hooray! The kids weren't too pleased at this little side quest we went on, oops! The crazy thing is, looking back at the track once we were on it, we started only about 20-metres away from the actual trailhead.
It was great to finally be on track so we could enjoy the hike and get back into town for an ice cream (a must-do after any hike in summer... right?). I had read that the track took 2 hours but apparently, I should have gone to Specsavers because it was actually 3. This hike was not going how we thought it was at all! I'm usually such a great planner but this one slipped right through my fingers! It's all part of adventuring though, and we learn to go with the flow because when something doesn't how you planned, it doesn't mean it's wrong ;)
Horse Parking Available
The track from the summit of Mt John was all downhill which was greeeeat! The views were so impressive and even though they are pretty much the same from the summit and from Tekapo town, it's still a slightly different perspective and I was so happy walking along with this view around me.
We saw a horse parking area, whatever the name is, where people on horse treks tie up the horses for a break. This would be such an incredible trail to do and one we plan to do one day when we're in Tekapo... best horse trek view in New Zealand?
As I mentioned earlier, the blue colour of Lake Tekapo is so hard to believe sometimes... the lake colour in the photos isn't edited at all, it truly is this colour.. in fact, it could even be bluer in real life! I stopped to take so many photos of the lake that Lath had to hurry me along so we could get back to the car and get some lunch (as we hadn't anticipated being this long) get out of the sun. It really was heating up as the day got on and as we passed people starting their hike from the lakeside up, I was thinking about how I can't imagine doing it at that time of day in that heat... phew!
Most of the track ended up being flat and once we got near the end, we found trees... yaaaaaay, shelter from the sun! It was a relief to be out of the heat and fiiiinally be back at our car. Oh the feeling of taking your sneakers off after a huge hike is the best - it's absolute bliss!
We saw a horse parking area, whatever the name is, where people on horse treks tie up the horses for a break. This would be such an incredible trail to do and one we plan to do one day when we're in Tekapo... best horse trek view in New Zealand?
As I mentioned earlier, the blue colour of Lake Tekapo is so hard to believe sometimes... the lake colour in the photos isn't edited at all, it truly is this colour.. in fact, it could even be bluer in real life! I stopped to take so many photos of the lake that Lath had to hurry me along so we could get back to the car and get some lunch (as we hadn't anticipated being this long) get out of the sun. It really was heating up as the day got on and as we passed people starting their hike from the lakeside up, I was thinking about how I can't imagine doing it at that time of day in that heat... phew!
Most of the track ended up being flat and once we got near the end, we found trees... yaaaaaay, shelter from the sun! It was a relief to be out of the heat and fiiiinally be back at our car. Oh the feeling of taking your sneakers off after a huge hike is the best - it's absolute bliss!
The tree has grown around the chain. I wonder how long it has been there for?
Know Before You Go
- The cafe is open 9am - 2pm (final order at 1:30pm) Fri - Mon but the summit road is open until 4pm on these days. It costs $8 per vehicle to go up (it's totally worth it!)
- There is no access to the summit after 4pm and before 9am - you'll see the sign once you come to it
- Dogs are only allowed in the forest, not past it, there is pinedone poisoning about which is deadly to dogs
- The track is 8.9kms long and takes 3 hours. There is the option to add on the 30-minute summit track while you're up there
- Doing the track either way is fine, if you go up through the forest then it's all uphill to the summit and then all downhill and flat after the summit
- To get to the lakeside track from the summit, head down the track from the right of the Astro Cafe and then turn left and you will see the track after a couple of minutes, on your right. Click here to see Mt John on Google Maps and then zoom in and look for the 'Lake Tekapo Town Tracks' path and it will make sense!
- In winter, there may be snow on Mt John and the wind could be icy, so rug up! Even in summer we have had some freezing cold days up there... welcome to New Zealand ;)
- Apart from the forest, there is no shelter on this track, so take your raincoat if it looks like it's going to rain!
- We do highly recommend doing this track on a clear day because the views are spectacular
- This is a kid-friendly walk, Arabella was 9 (almost 10!) and Sienna was 5 when we did it
- Some of the track can be dusty in summer, with the lack of rain, so it can be 'slippery' in some parts where it's so dry (speaking from experience!!) but only in a couple of spots
How To Get To The Mt John Via Lakeside Track In Tekapo
The trailhead is only a few minutes from Tekapo township, on Lakeside Drive.
There is a small carpark next to Tekapo Springs and we parked here because we were taking this side of the track up. There is space for around 7 cars. Click here for the location on Google Maps. If this parking is full, keep going straight and you'll see some parks on the right, opposite Tekapo Springs.
The small carpark I mentioned, is where the trailhead to go up through the forest starts.
There is a small carpark next to Tekapo Springs and we parked here because we were taking this side of the track up. There is space for around 7 cars. Click here for the location on Google Maps. If this parking is full, keep going straight and you'll see some parks on the right, opposite Tekapo Springs.
The small carpark I mentioned, is where the trailhead to go up through the forest starts.
Conclusion
This is one of the most beautiful hikes we have done in New Zealand... and we have done A LOT (check them all out here if you don't believe me ;) ). The panoramic views were so incredibly beautiful and they seemed to last forever! Doing this on a clear day is always the right choice, as Lake Tekapo shows of how blue it can be, which actually makes it hard to believe that it's real. When the prices aren't so steep, the Astro Cafe is such an awesome place to eat some delicious cake at and drink a great coffee, while enjoying the view. It's a fairly easy hike, with an uphill hike through the forest or an uphill hike via lakeside, whichever way you decide to go, and you don't need to be super fit to do it.
Gallery of the Mt John Via Lakeside Track
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
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