No. 15 – Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lake Tekapo New Zealand Illustration by Jonathan Chapman

No.15 of my 2018 world series challenge is Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.

Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau run along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin on the South Island of New Zealand (the others are ). A popular tourist destination, Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of these parallel lakes and covers an area of 83 square kilometres at an altitude of 710 metres (2,330 ft) above sea level. The lake is fed at its northern end by the Godley River, which has its source in the Southern Alps to the north. Situated on it’s shores is the Church of the Good Shepherd, which was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin (1935). The church at Lake Tekapo was designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman, based on sketches by a local artist Esther Hope. The church is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and features an altar window that frames views of the lake and mountains.

Thanks goes to Myfanwy for suggesting this scene and providing some inspirational photographs! New Zealand has been on our wish list for some time and like many of our friends we did consider going out to work there for a year or two. We never made it, but we still stare longingly at pictures of these stunning natural landscapes. This illustration is gentle colour study of Lake Tekapo with the mountains in the distance. I’ve edited the angle of the church and horizon from what you’d see in real life, but hopefully it still feels true… in my mind it seems open, panoramic with a nice fresh breeze. But if you’ve visited this place i’d love to hear what you think and your memories of it…

You can follow along with my world series here on the studio blogfacebooktwitter or instagram.

Next up: No.16 – The Grand Canyon, USA.

One response to “No. 15 – Lake Tekapo, New Zealand”

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