Mid-Canterbury & Mackenzie District Travel Guide
The Canterbury region covers a huge part of New Zealand’s South Island. It spans all the way from Kaikoura to Hamner Springs and south towards Christchurch, the Banks Peninsula as well as the Mackenzie District with Tekapo and Mt Cook.
Because it covers such a massive part of the South Island, we’ll cut the region in half. On this page, you’ll find travel info on everything south of the Rakaia River:
Methven / Mt Hutt
Ashburton
Lake Tekapo
Twizel
Aoraki Mt Cook
and many other small towns
Lake Tekapo & Aoraki Mt Cook
You’ve most likely heard of Tekapo before, the little town on the shores of the lake with the same name. Tekapo is most famous for its iconic stone chapel Church of the Good Shepherd. Because Tekapo is a Dark Sky Reserve (an area where it’s extra dark at night and the stars extra bright), you can get incredible night pictures of the chapel. Or you go on a star-gazing tour on Mt John or learn more about the stars from the comfort of the local hot pools.
The other famous destination in this part of Canterbury is Aoraki Mt Cook. The scenic road to the valley at the feet of the Tasman Glacier is one of the must-dos in the Mackenzie District, as is a walk to Tasman Lake and a scenic flight of the glacier with a landing on the ice. In winter, you can even heli-ski through the ice caves!
How to get to Lake Tekapo and Aoraki Mt Cook
By car: Driving from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo takes you about 3 hours (226km | 140mi) and Christchurch to Aoraki Mt Cook 4 hours (330km | 205mi). From Queenstown, it’s just over 3 hours to Aoraki Mt Cook (260km | 160mi) and pretty much the same time and distance to Lake Tekapo.
Please note you’ll most likely stop and take a lot of pictures on the scenic SH80 to Mt Cook, make sure to calculate enough time for the drive.
By public transport: Intercity stops in Lake Tekapo as it’s on the main route of SH8 between Queenstown and Christchurch. Getting to Aoraki Mt Cook by bus is not easy as the regular bus doesn’t drive into the valley and you might have to join a tour.
Methven & Mt Hutt
Located in Mid-Canterbury, just south of the Rakai River, Methven is an alpine village a little off the beaten path. At least it’s been quaint in summer. In winter, thousands flock to Methven, the gateway to Mt Hutt, for a South Island skiing adventure. Mt Hutt is often able to open the ski fields much earlier than the more famous (and more crowded) ski fields around Queenstown (but sssh, don’t tell anyone).
The new Ōpuke hot springs that are about to open their doors will become a new favourite to soak in after a long day of skiing in winter or hiking and biking in summer.
Getting to Methven and Mt Hutt
By car: It couldn’t be easier to get to Methven from Christchurch. In just over an hour (100km | 62mi), you’ve arrived at the feet of Mt Hutt. From Methven to the Mt Hutt ski area, it’s another 40 minutes (26km | 16mi).
By public transport: A shuttle bus runs between Christchurch airport and Methven / Mt Cook ski fields during snow season. There’s no public transport to Methven in summer.
