Lake Pukaki: 7 things to do at this stunning South Island lake
Lake Pukaki is an essential stop on any South Island road trip.
Lake Pukaki is an alpine lake in the South Island of New Zealand.
It’s the kind of place that makes you stop and stare, trying to get your mind to make sense of what your eyes are seeing. It doesn’t seem possible that water can be this blue, cradled in the golden tussock of the Mackenzie basin.
It also seems completely surreal that a road runs nonchalantly past the lake.
Lake Pukaki is two hours and 40 minutes from Queenstown, three and a half hours from Christchurch, and only 30 minutes from Lake Tekapo.
If you plan on driving from Queenstown to Mount Cook or Christchurch, you’ll drive right past it.
It’s one of New Zealand’s most easily accessible natural wonders. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Lake Pukaki.
jump ahead.
What is Lake Pukaki known for?
Why is Lake Pukaki so blue?
Can you swim in Lake Pukaki?
The best things to do near Lake Pukaki
Where to stay in Lake Pukaki
Freedom camping near Lake Pukaki
What is Lake Pukaki famous for?
Lake Pukaki is one of the most stunning locations in the whole South Island. The lake itself is a vibrant bright blue. It’s even more blue than its famous neighbour Lake Tekapo.
The lake is also positioned at the foot of the Southern Alps. Looking across the pale blue water, you’ll see the peak of Aoraki Mount Cook rising into the sky.
The drive along the edge of Lake Pukaki toward Mount Cook is one of the most scenic drives in New Zealand.
You might recognise it — the road winding toward mountains with the bright blue lake on one side is an iconic image of the South Island.
It’s well worth stopping by Lake Pukaki on a road trip from Christchuch to Queenstown, and even spending a night here.
If you like uninterrupted views and getting away from the crowds. I actually recommend stopping for the night at Pukaki instead of in the more developed Lake Tekapo.
Why is Lake Pukaki so blue?
Lake Pukaki gets its spectacular blue colour from fine silt particles, called glacial flour, suspended in the water.
The silt is ground up by glaciers slowly sliding along rock beds. The resulting glacial flour is so fine its suspended in the water, giving it a striking blue hue.
Can you swim in Lake Pukaki?
You can swim in Lake Pukaki, but it’s freezing cold! This is water that’s come from a glacier, so it’s icy. Swimming in Lake Pukaki is more of a cold plunge than leisurely laps.
The water can get rough and because it’s so cold you need to be a little careful, so stick close to shore to avoid getting into trouble.
Is Lake Pukaki man made?
Pukaki formed naturally when moraine from retreating glaciers dammed the valley. Lake Pukaki is not human made, but it is used for hydro electric generation.
How deep is Lake Pukaki?
Lake Pukaki is the largest of the three roughly parallel alpine lakes — Pukaki, Ohau, and Tekapo — running through the Mackenzie District.
Lake Pukaki is an impressive 70 metres deep. This is still relatively shallow when compared to New Zealand’s deepest lake — Lake Hauroko in the South Island is 462 metres deep.
The best things to do near Lake Pukaki
There are a number of short walks and viewpoints around Lake Pukaki. It’s worth stopping to stretch your legs and enjoy the view.
1) Visit Lake Pukaki viewpoints
There are a number of spots along the shore of Lake Pukaki where you can stop and enjoy the view. You can stop pretty much anywhere, and you’ll see places on the side where you can pull over for photos.
If you’re coming from Tekapo, you’ll reach this viewpoint first.
If you’re coming from Twizel, you’ll come to this carpark first.
Another popular place to stop (and take the iconic photo of the road winding along next to the lake) is further along the road to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, at this location.
2) Swing by the Punatuhu Visitor Centre
The visitor centre at Lake Pukaki is located right by the carpark on the southern shore of the lake — see the location on Google Maps here.
The visitor centre is a small building with a seating area where you can sit and enjoy views of the lake.
There are also information panels detailing the history and stories of the area.
There’s no information desk, but it’s still worth popping in to get some context on the lake and region.
3) Stroll along the Lake Pukaki Foreshore
From the carpark at the southern edge of the lake, you can stroll around the foreshore to enjoy different viewpoints. This walk is a short section of the Te Araroa (long pathway), which runs the length of New Zealand.
You can walk for literally hours along the lakeshore — the full trail is 13 kilometres return.
The view doesn’t change a lot on the walk though, so you can just walk as far as you feel then turn around and head back.
The Marker Bay Track is another easy walk along the edge of the lake, weaving through pine trees on the southwestern edge of the lakeshore.
The Marker Bay Track is only one kilometre return, so you can do it in 20 minutes.
4) Enjoy the Pukaki Kettle Holes walk
// 4 kilometres return
// 1 hour
The Pukaki Kettleholes walk climbs a small hill covered in tussock grass, to give you views out across the lake.
You can also make this a loop track if you return via the foreshore walk which follows alongside the highway.
5) Eat salmon sashimi by the lakeside
The Mt Cook Alpine Salmon shop is located right next to the Lake Pukaki Visitor Centre.
This salmon is raised in pure, fresh alpine water in the Southern Alps. The salmon are farmed in a network of fast-flowing glacial waterways connecting Lake Tekapo, Pukaki, and Benmore.
From the shop, you can buy melt-in-your-mouth salmon sashimi and enjoy it at the picnic tables outside, looking out across the lake.
6) Admire the Alpine Lavender farm
During the summer months — December, January, and February — you can stop by New Zealand Alpine Lavender.
The certified organic farm takes advantage of the fierce sunshine and pristine environment to grow their fragrant and vibrantly coloured lavender. You can stop by to visit the farm, for a $5 entry fee, and take photos.
Or, you can just stop to savour a lavender ice cream and the picturesque view.
7) Stargaze in the Dark Sky Reserve
The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, encompassing the area around Lake Pukaki and the nearby Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, is designated as a Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association.
This means that it is dedicated to preserving the quality of its night skies and reducing light pollution to provide excellent stargazing conditions.
The pristine night skies around Pukaki are stunning on a clear night. With so few buildings around, you can stargaze for free right from the shores of Lake Pukaki.
The freedom camping area is ideal for this.
Alternatively, you can go for a guided experience at the Mt Cook Lakeside retreat.
They have a purpose-built Pukaki Wine Cellar and Observatory, where you can enjoy a glass of wine or tot of whisky from the carefully curated cellar.
The adjoining observatory has a retractable roof and telescope for exploring the Southern stars.
Accommodation near Lake Pukaki
One thing to understand about Lake Pukaki is that it’s not a town, or even a village — it’s really just a lake with a few facilities like public toilets on the southern edge.
The nearest town with hotels is Twizel, a 15 minute drive away.
There are a couple of great accommodation options around the edge of Lake Pukaki, as well as more dotted around Twizel.
Freedom camping near Lake Pukaki
If you’re travelling around the South Island in a self-contained campervan, you can park up at one of the freedom camping spots near Lake Pukaki. This is one of the best ways to experience the area, in my opinion — I prefer Lake Pukaki camping to staying in hostels in Tekapo.
Here are the freedom camping areas by Pukaki:
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