Lake Tekapo

Above Lake Tekapo to the southeast is Burke Pass (671m), which carries the road (Highway 8) from the Mackenzie Country to Fairlie. It is named after Michael John Burke, who surveyed the area in 1855. His interest in the area was aroused during the trial of the sheep stealer James Mackenzie (Mackenzie Country), when he heard of the great plains in this highland region where the stolen sheep had been hidden.

At the south end of the lake, near the village of Tekapo, is a dam built in 1954, which regulates the level of the lake. It is normally between 704m and 710m above sea level. The first hydroelectric station, Tekapo A, was built in 1951. The second, Tekapo B, was built in 1977 and supplied with water by a 25km long canal (1977) from Lake Pukaki to Lake Tekapo.