This Blog Post was a tough one to write.

There are two questions I get asked a lot, especially from other photographers (my competitors!)

“Where is the Red Plane” and “Where to see Lupins in Tekapo”.

If you see this image to the left, it’s quite likely that you will be wondering this yourself. It’s a really beautiful plane and it’s even better that there’s lupins in front of it. I posted this image in a Facebook group and got over 3000 likes - it’s one of my iconic “hero” shots.

I’ll get to the point - It’s at the Pukaki Airport, and I know the owner of the plane so I can arrange with him to take the plane out of the hangar.

And then, there’s the Lupin Field shots.

Tekapo is famous for the lupins, but many have visited Tekapo wondering “where the heck are the lupins I came for?!”

The Lupins bloom between mid-November and early January, so if you visit Tekapo any other time of the year, you’ll only see bare grass fields everywhere. If you do visit Tekapo in the NZ summer months, there’s lupins everywhere, you can’t miss it!

The Church of the Good Shepherd

You can’t say that you visited Tekapo, without going to the famous Church of the Good Shepherd.

Spoiler Alert - it’s very, very touristy with bus loads of tourists getting off to see the church every minute, even at 2am.

A $200 Photo Concession is required to take Wedding Photos here for 30 minutes, which doesn’t give us exclusive rights to the site (a lot of tourists getting in the way of the shot).

Wedding Photos at night here are NOT permitted either (my shots were taken before they closed it off in 2018).

The only way to have exclusive access (the church will close the site off to tourists) is to book a Wedding Ceremony there.

The Lesser Known beauty in Tekapo..

99% of people miss this spot completely, although it’s only 10 minutes away from Tekapo town center - This is Lake Alexandrina.

This is also Lake Alexandrina

Lake Alexandrina on Christmas Day - The lupins here bloom exactly on Christmas Day. You won’t get this shot before or after.

Texas? Nope, Burkes Pass.

Burkes pass is 15 minutes drive North from Tekapo, and is filled with vintage American cars and objects.
Doesn’t look quite like New Zealand, but worth a shot for a simple $100 photo permit (cash only).

Mount John Observatory

Mt John has a toll gate ($8 per vehicle) and is open for visitors during the day, if it is not windy.
This spot offers panoramic views of Tekapo, and has stargazing tours at night.

Not a bad spot, but a Helicopter flight to Mt Cook is a much more scenic option.

The amazing Lake Pukaki

Glacial ice water from the Tasman Glacier at Mt Cook illuminate the lake in a turquoise baby blue colour, straight out of a fantasy.
The Salmon station there is our favourite for a mid-shoot sashimi snack (it’s really the best).

With Mt Cook glimmering in the background, this is a must-go spot for a photoshoot near Lake Tekapo.