Points along the Trail: Camping at Kerr Bay, Nelson Lakes NP

  A winter visit to Kerr Bay campsite...

I recently spent a couple of days up in Nelson Lakes National Park day walking some of the shorter tracks there. I stayed a night at the Kerr Bay Campground between St Arnaud township and Lake Rotoiti. Kerr Bay Campground is a DOC facility with powered and unpowered sites for caravans, camper vans and tents. 

Kerr Bay Campground, St Arnaud

To access from SH63 turn off onto Kerr Bay Road and follow down to the campground near the main boat ramp. Bookings are required from December through to the end of April, over Easter and any week there are speed boat races on Lake Rotoiti. T

Map: St Arnaud and the start of Nelson Lakes NP

The rest of the time you have to go to the St Arnaud DOC office on View Road off SH 63 to book a site and pay your camp fees.

Map: set up of Kerr Bay Campground, St Arnaud

The Kaka Zone at Kerr Bay Campground...tent specific

There are both grass and hard surface pads available and the whole campground had a major overhaul last year while the country was mostly empty of tourists. There has been a lot of work done on the camping sites and both the amenity block and the camp cook shelter have been repainted and renovated. 

The Silver Surfer parked up at my site at Kerr Bay

I was car camping and using one of my Coleman tents on this trip...a smaller two person tent that I use for base camp trips such as this one. At 2.2 kg it is light for a car camping tent but too heavy for tramping purposes (I have a lighter Big Agnes tent for that role). It performed well on this trip but it was really too cold for camping...I should just have stayed in a motel for both nights I was scheduled to be in the area.

The Coleman Camper 2 is set up behind the car

Nice protected site for the tent at Kerr Bay Campground

Plenty of free space in the mostly empty Kerr Bay Campground

I was in the Kiwi Zone which is a mixed camping/caravan area so there was a hard pad to park the car on and plenty of grass areas around it for the tent. Each of the sites have their own picnic table and each site is sheltered by a couple of trees. It is a nice set up and one I shall be taking advantage of going forward. 

Looking down to the Lake and Mt Robert from Kerr Bay Campground

It was a quiet night at the campground as there were only about 6-7 camper vans and myself in the campground. It was a little cold...I had my Marmot -10 degree bag so I was warm enough in my pit but my face got cold as it dropped down to -2 degrees overnight. 

I had a closed cell foam mat under my airbed to insulate from the ground but I probably need a down filled air bed for these winter camps. I don't know that anyone makes a car camping air bed with down inside but it is something I shall be investigating. 

My camping air bed in the tent, Kerr Bay Campground

I was reading Karen's Willard Price books on this trip...

I actually had a Kiwi walk right past my tent at around 8 pm just as it got dark...it was literally a couple of meters away and while I could make out its shape I couldn't really see any detail in the dark. Still amazing as it is a busy area right on the edge of the National Park and not a place you would expect to see our rare national bird.

Campsite facilities at Kerr Bay:

Kerr Bay Campground is well set up with all the facilities you might need when staying overnight at this locale. There is a very nice camp cook shelter and a set of toilets/showers/laundry attached to the camp to make your stay more comfortable. 

The cook shelter at the Kerr Bay Campground, St Arnaud

...it is called Blechynden Shelter...

The cooking shelter is a three sided building with three large tables, bench's and a seat right around the walls of the building. It has a stainless steel bench with two sinks with both hot and cold water. There is a Zip on the wall for boiling water and a free four burner gas hob for use by those people staying in the campground. Filtered water is available inside the shelter and there is a filtered water tap outside for refilling those camper van water tanks before you leave. 

Kerr Bay Shelter: the hob and one of the dining tables (2018)...

The newly painted interior of Blechynden Shelter at Kerr Bay

There are some awesome views of Lake Rotoiti and Mt Robert from inside the cooking shelter which makes for fine dining with a view. They have also put some Clearlite panels in the roof so it is much lighter inside than it used to be. You will find recycling bins and rubbish bins at the cooking shelter and others scattered around the campground. 

View of Lake Rotoiti from inside the shelter at Kerr Bay Campground

There is a combined shower/laundry block at Kerr Bay Campground with token operated hot water showers and coin operated washing machines/dryers. You get the tokens for the facilities from the St Arnaud DOC office on View Road. One token is good for six minutes of hot water or 30 minutes of cloths drying. 

There is a new set of toilets located right next to and opposite the shower block. Both the toilet block and the shower block were totally renovated in December of 2020 so they are now very flash. All these facilities are located opposite the cooking shelter at the Lake Rotoiti end of the campground.

DOC sign at the entrance to Kerr Bay Campground, St Arnaud

The Lake Rotoiti boat ramp and dock are located right outside the entrance to the Kerr Bay Campground. There is a carpark here where several of the tracks start that go along this side of Lake Rotoiti including the Lakehead Track to Lakehead Hut and the Travers Valley, St Arnaud Range Track, Loop Walk and Honeydew Track.

Start of the Lake Rotoiti track network at the Kerr Bay carpark

One of the tracks I walked was the Mt Robert Circuit which loops around the northern side of the mountain with a start and finish at the Mt Robert carpark. This is the main route to Angelus Hut if you are adding it to your Te Araroa Trail experience. You have an excellent view of Mt Robert from the campground at Kerr Bay and in fact you can see Paddy's Track from the wharf. 

Mt Robert is visible across Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes NP

The sun setting on the St Arnaud Range, Nelson Lakes NP

Kerr Bay Campground is a well appointed and well located place for you to use as a camping spot while passing through Nelson Lakes National Park. For both SOBO and NOBO trekkers it lies directly on the path through to Travers Saddle, Waiau Saddle, Red Hills and the Richmond Ranges. 

Points along the Trail: Lake Tekapo Village

       Visiting Lake Tekapo while on the Te Araroa Trail          

There are a number of small settlements you must pass through while walking the South Island legs of Te Araroa Trail and Lake Tekapo Village is one of them. Lake Tekapo (or Tekapo) is a small village on the northern edge of the Mackenzie Country between the Two Thumb Range and Twizel. 

Looking north to the Two Thumb Range from Lake Tekapo

It is a tourist stop over point on the route to Aoraki/Mt Cook, Wanaka and Queenstown and serves as the rural service hub for the local area. Every TA trekker will have to pass through Lake Tekapo as it sits right on the trail and is the only resupply point between two 3-4 day sections. There are about 100 permeant residents in Lake Tekapo but over the summer and long holiday weekends it is much busier as it is becoming a holiday home mecca. There are now over 1200 homes in Tekapo up from less than forty 25 years ago...

Main drag of Lake Tekapo Village...restaurants and gift shops

Map: Lake Tekapo Village, Mackenzie Basin

Tekapo has limited services but can provide the essentials such as restaurants, a supermarket, accommodation and it also acts as a transportation link with public transport to and from the village. Most people will spend 1-2 days here resting, cleaning gear and resupplying before setting off once again along the trail. 

Lake Tekapo from near the Church of the Good Sheppard

I thought it might be useful to look at what you can expect to find at Lake Tekapo and I will talk about resupply, accommodation options and things to do if you are spending a zero day here. 

Lake Tekapo Village:

My partner Karen and I recently visited Lake Tekapo Village and spent a day there while completing a camper van holiday around the lower South Island. We were heading north back to Christchurch from Aoraki/Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo was our last stop for this trip. 

Aoraki/Mt Cook from Glentanner Holiday Park

After checking into our accommodation we went down to the Church of the Good Shepard (no crowds at all...) where I proceeded to disassemble numerous shorefront rock cairns much to Karen's amusement. Have a read of my post about the damaging effects of unnecessary rock cairns I posted late last year. We visited the Dark Skies Centre and had a look at the various shops and the new 4-Square supermarket along the main drag. 

The Church of the Good Shepard, Lake Tekapo

The Two Thumb Range from near Lake Tekapo Village

The next morning we drove up to the top of Mt John for the spectacular views off the whole Mackenzie Basin. It costs $10 to drive up this private road to near the observatory but it is well worth it as you can see for tens of kilometers from the hill top carpark and cafe. 

Lake Tekapo Village from Mt John, Lake Tekapo

A rainbow visible from the top of Mt John, Mackenzie Basin

Lake Alexandria from the carpark on Mt John, Lake Tekapo

Our Jucy Chaser at the upper carpark, Mt John, Lake Tekapo

It was cloudy and windy the day we visited but on a clear day you can see as far as Aoraki/Mt Cook, Twizel and across Lake Tekapo to the Two Thumb Range. 

Food options in Lake Tekapo:

Supermarket: 

A brand new 4-Square supermarket was built in Tekapo in late 2019 and it makes shopping for food so much easier. It is a medium sized store but it has everything you will need to resupply for the next three to four day sections to Twizel or Geraldine. It is located at the western edge of town and is very obvious from the Tekapo-Twizel Road. It is the only food store in Tekapo so if it does not have what you need you will be heading for either Twizel or Geraldine. 

4-Square is an independent Co-Op brand which tends to have medium to small supermarkets in these smaller country towns. You will also find 4-Square markets in Havelock, Picton, Methven, Hanmer, Wanaka and Te Anau. They are slightly more expensive than some of the larger chain markets but not so much that the prices are exorbitant. 

You will get to know them well while walking the Te Araroa Trail. 

Lake Tekapo 4-Square: aisle 1 and2

Lake Tekapo 4-Square:aisle 3-4

As well as all the normal items you would expect they also sold Backcountry freeze dried meals, milk powder, gas canisters, stove alcohol (methylated spirits), first aid supplies and a limited supply of hardware items such as tape, socks, gloves, wool hats etc.. They had a good selection of meat, cheese and cold cuts to choose from including prepackaged salami, ham and chicken.

Lake Tekapo 4-Square:cold store items

The supermarket is the only off license place to buy alcohol and as with all supermarkets in New Zealand it sells wine, cider and beer but not spirits. 

Lake Tekapo 4-Square:frozen section...ice and pizzas!!!

I was mentally making a list as I walked the aisles and I could easily have put together a nice varied menu for at least a week from the goods sold in the store. The only other place to buy limited grocery items is at either of the two service stations in town but they mostly just sell snack foods.

Cafes, restaurants and takeaways:

There are a number of types and styles of restaurant in Lake Tekapo catering from takeaway meals right through to semi fine dining restaurants with table service. We went out to dinner as a treat for our last night in the camper van...our meal was at a nice Japanese restaurant called Kohan and we had some Kirin beer and sushi, tempura, tonkatsu and breaded lamb chops all of which were delicious. 

The side entrance to Kohan Japanese Restaurant, Lake Tekapo

There are a number of other restaurants and cafes in the village they range from cheap takeaways to full multicourse dining experiences. Some of the most obvious are Doughboys Bakery, Jade Palace Chinese Restaurant (a TA tradition...), Peppers Blue Water Cafe/Restaurant, Mackenzies Cafe Bar and Grill and the Dark Skies Diner. 

Jade Palace Restaurant, Lake Tekapo Village

You will need to check the opening times of all of these eateries as they have shortened their hours since Covid 19. 

Dark Skies diner, Dark Skies Center, Lake Tekapo Village

There are several more eateries but these are just a selection...try searching online for [restaurants + lake tekapo] for more information. Takeaway meals are available from Kohan/Jade Palace/Doughboys (fish and chips etc.) and a small sushi restaurant next to Aotea Gifts.

Accommodation in Lake Tekapo:

There is a full range of accommodation in Lake Tekapo Village from backpackers and campgrounds right through to four star high end resorts. We were staying at the Lakeview Motels and Holiday Park next to the new hot pool complex along the shore of Lake Tekapo.

Reception for Lake Tekapo Motels and Holiday Park

The camp has had a lot of work done on it recently and is now graced with top notch facilities. We had a lake front powered van site and could see down to the lakefront and out to Mt John and the Two Thumb Range on the far side of the lake. They have camp sites here as well as motel units with access to showers, cooking facilities and laundry.

Many camper-vans at the campgrounds, Lake Tekapo

Most people walking the Te Araroa Trail will stay at the YHA Lake Tekapo...it is brand new and very, very flash. They have a variety of rooms available from multi user bunkrooms right up to 2-4 person rooms with Queen Size beds and attached bathrooms. All YHA's have cooking/dining areas, a lounge and laundry facilities. 

YHA Lake Tekapo...two years old!!!

Lake Tekapo YHA has multiuser bunkrooms...

It is located right in the center of Tekapo and has stunning views out over the lake and the surrounding mountains. The 4-Square supermarket it 100 meters away and it is also located right next to the Kohan Restaurant, MacKenzies Bar and Grill and the Dark Skies Center. 

 

...YHA Lake nice double rooms/suites!!!

There are a couple of high end hotels and resort style motels in Tekapo the most obvious is the Peppers Bluewater Resort directly opposite the supermarket on the Tekapo-Twizel Highway. Karen has stayed here before and she said it was lovely with nicely appointed rooms, a cafe/restaurant and some good amenities. She raved about the resort so it sounds like a decent place to stay if you want to pamper yourself. 

Suite room at the Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo

There is also the Lake Tekapo Village Motel down near the YHA and Dark Skies Center. It has decent looking rooms ranging from self contained suites right through to top line apartments and is very centrally located for any service you might need. 

Suite at Lake Tekapo Village Motel

Personally I would probably stay in the YHA...it looks nice...certainly one of the better appointed YHA's I have seen here in New Zealand and good value for money. 

Things to do and see in Lake Tekapo:

Lake Tekapo is really a point most people will pass by or only stop in for a short break while driving between other larger towns. Regardless it is actually a nice destination to visit in its own right and if you are walking through on your way north or south you might as well have a look at the attractions there.

The footbridge over the Tekapo River

The first and most obvious (because you walk right past it is the Church of the Good Sheppard down on the Lake Tekapo waterfront. This is a magnificent stone church with awesome vistas out to the lake and lovely stained glass windows inside. It is not open everyday because of the lack of tourists but even just walking around the outside is well worth the effort. 

Right next to the church is a statue to the sheepdog in the form of a collie on a stone plinth. Mustering sheep on the highcountry stations would be impossible without sheep dogs and I'm sure many a Sheppard is closer to his/her dogs than their wife/husband/partner. They probably spend more time together anyway....

Statue to the Sheepdog, Lake Tekapo waterfront

 

There is easy access to the lake front near the Church of the Good Sheppard and you will often find people in the area taking photos with the lake as a backdrop. In the spring the whole lakefront is covered in colorful luppins in pink, purple, red, yellow and white. They are an invasive plant but they are also beautiful and have become so endemic they can never be fully erradicated. there is a pedestrian path from here back into the center of Tekapo village. 

Tekapo lakefront near the Church of the Good Sheppard, Lake Tekapo

Probably of interest to your average TA trekker will be the new swimming and hot pool complex down by the Lakeview Motels and Holiday Park. You follow the road around towards Mt John and there is an ever expanding complex similar to Hanmer. It is well set out and has hot spas, saunas, hot pools and swimming pools...entry is from $29 NZ dollars.

Lake Tekapo Pool complex, Lake Tekapo Village

If you are interested in astronomy and stargazing you should visit the Dark Skies Center and look into one of their Dark Skies Experiences. Lake Tekapo is a UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve with the internationally important Mt John Observatory to the west of the village. The whole Mackenzie basin is one of the best places in the world to look at the night skies. There is a shop and cafe/restaurant at the center and nighttime tours to Mt John can be booked here.

Dark Skies Center at Lake Tekapo Village

If you want to keep those legs going how about a 2-3 hour walk to the summit of Mt John on the Tekapo-Mt John walkway. It has some awesome views of the surrounding area as the Mackenzie Basin is fairly flat. There is a small cafe at the Observatory if you need refreshing after the climb. 

Lake Tekapo and Two Thumb Range from atop Mt John. 

There are many more things to see and do in Lake Tekapo such as 4 W/D tours, ATV tours, horse riding tours, bike hire, MTB tracks, hunting and trout fishing. You may or may not have the time, inclination or money to indulge but you could certainly spend a couple of jam packed adventurous days in the area. 

NOBO/SOBO from Lake Tekapo:

After Lake Tekapo village you are setting off SOBO along the hydro canals for Lake Pukaki about 30 odd kilometers away. You can either walk this section or hire a bike and ride the section as there is a MTB track from Lake Tekapo to Twizel. 

View out over the Mackenzie Basin from Mt John, Lake Tekapo

The hydro canal between Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki

From Lake Pukaki you head further south...first to Twizel and the Lake Ohau Track and then onwards to Lake Hawea, Wanaka and Queenstown. You are on the last 400 odd kilometers of the trail heading south to Bluff...

...Lake Pukaki is your next destination!

If walking NOBO you are heading into the Two Thumb Range towards the Rangitata River, Rakaia River and Arthurs Pass NP. If going this way you need to get onto Lillybank Road at the eastern edge of Tekapo and head on out into the backcountry.

 

Looking towards Tekapo Village from Lillybank Road

Cheers all...I hope to see some of you on the trail!!!