Church of the Good Shepherd

Lake Tekapo’s Iconic Landmark

On the shore of the breathtakingly blue waters of Lake Tekapo and framed by the Southern Alps sits the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd.

What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in appearance. The charming stone façade is the perfect piece of Mackenzie heritage to sit pride of place in any picture, adding perspective to the wide-open landscape.

Built as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie region, the Church has been home to thousands of weddings and has seen more than its fair share of visitors to its grounds. The foundation stone was laid by HRH the Duke of Gloucester, on January 15 1935. The builders of the Church were instructed that the site was to be left undisturbed and that even the matagouri bushes surrounding the building were to remain.

The Mackenzie Co-operating Parish oversees the Church of the Good Shepherd and does not allow photography inside the Church. The Church is interdenominational and services are held regularly throughout the year.

Every season the surrounding scenery changes and photographers are presented with new images to capture.

Bronze Sheepdog Statue

Close by the Church of the Good Shepherd is a bronze sheepdog statue, a tribute to the hardy dogs “without the help of which the grazing of this mountain country would be impossible”. This well-recognised statue was commissioned by the residents of the Mackenzie region on 7 March 1968.