Lake Pūkaki

5 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Lake Pūkaki is the largest lake in the Mackenzie area, and the Lakes380 project puts its surface at 17,274 hectares. Te Ara explains its milky turquoise colour with fine glacial rock flour that stays suspended in the water. The lake also works as a reservoir: it stores water for the Waitaki hydroelectric system and rises and falls with demand, so the shoreline can look different from one visit to the next.

From Twizel, where the nearest shop is, it is about 65 km to Mount Cook Village, a drive of roughly 50 minutes. State Highway 80 runs along the lake, and the Mackenzie Region lists many viewpoints on it. Snow can close SH80 in winter, according to DOC, so check the road conditions first.

Peters Lookout

The best-known stop is Peters Lookout on Highway 80, which Boffa Miskell describes as one of the best photo spots for Aoraki/Mount Cook. Its second name, Tapataia Mahaka, was gifted by Ngāi Tahu and recalls a historic mahinga kai settlement, a food-gathering place, on the lake edge. Land Information New Zealand had the site redesigned between 2016 and 2020: wilding pines that blocked the view were removed, a toilet block was built and a track now leads safely down to the shore. The mountain is only in view when the cloud at the head of the lake lifts.

Salmon and the information centre

On State Highway 8, between Lake Tekapo and Twizel, you pass the Pūkaki Information Centre. Mt Cook Alpine Salmon runs its shop there. The day shuttle from Tekapo stops here on its way back in the afternoon, after a morning stop at Peters Lookout.

Glentanner and the upper lake

Glentanner Park lies about 20 minutes by car from Mount Cook Village. On the Glentanner High Country Heli Hike you check in at the Glentanner Holiday Park reception 30 minutes before departure, fly for eight minutes to a landing high on the family-owned station, and then walk down a 7 km four-wheel-drive track with a guide to a restored historic field station. On the way you look over Lake Pūkaki and the Tasman delta. Groups are limited to 15, poles, tea and snacks are provided, and you bring your own hiking footwear. The operator asks for at least a moderate level of fitness.

The Helicopter Line flies from its base at Glentanner Park. Its 25-minute flight rises over Lake Pūkaki and lands for about ten minutes in the Ben Ohau Range, on snow when the season allows. One review describes a middle seat with no view.

Skydiving over the lakes

Skydive Mt Cook jumps from 10,000, 13,000 or 16,500 ft with views of Aoraki and lakes Pūkaki and Tekapo. A 20-minute scenic climb is followed by up to 70 seconds of free fall and about five minutes under the canopy; allow two to three hours on site. The drop zone is Pukaki Airport on State Highway 8, just outside Twizel. Reviews also mention cancellations at short notice in wind or cloud. For heights and age rules, see skydiving.

Cycling and night skies

The Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail, 315 km long, begins in the Southern Alps beneath the peaks of the national park. Its first section inside the park runs 5 km downhill from the village to the airport, according to DOC.

The lake lies inside the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. For stargazing on your own, the Mackenzie Region suggests the canal roads. Guided night sessions start in Lake Tekapo and Twizel; our page on stargazing lists them.

On the way to the park

From Lake Tekapo the drive to Mount Cook Village is 104 km, about 1 hour 20 minutes, and the day shuttle from Tekapo makes its first stop at Peters Lookout. The Hermitage allows about 4 hours 15 minutes from Christchurch and roughly three and a half hours from Queenstown; day tours from Queenstown come over the Lindis Pass and through Omarama before they reach the lake. Details on the drive are on getting to Mount Cook, and Mount Cook Village covers what you will and will not find at the end of the road.