Tiny houses in Lake Tekapo & Mackenzie

The Mackenzie Basin is one of those landscapes you remember before you've even left — the turquoise of Lake Tekapo against tawny tussock grass and a wall of snow-capped peaks that includes Aoraki/Mount Cook. Tiny houses and designer cabins here are built low and dark to preserve the night sky of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, one of the largest such reserves on earth. The resident observatory runs evening stargazing programmes open to guests.

Summer (November–March) is prime for hiking in Mount Cook NP and swimming in Lake Pukaki's glacier-fed water. Winter stays are cold but clear, with skifields at Ohau and Roundhill within easy reach. The thermal hot pools at Lake Tekapo township are a year-round ritual after a day on the hills — plan for a soak whatever the season.