Round Hill Ski Area Goes For Gold

Once again the team at Round Hill are thinking ahead, and have spent the summer rebuilding an old but loved lift from the early years. The snow sure back bowl has been reconnected with a new T Bar. In the 70s a rope tow stood here. The back bowl has always had a reputation as a friendly powder area, and we are thrilled to see it reopen once more.. well done.430376 279723022096153 125269677541489 645485 588350713 n1 Round Hill Ski Area Goes For Gold

Global Star Party

EVERYONE WELCOME.
Star Location – Cowan’s Hill, Lake Tekapo
Star Date –Saturday 28th April. (5.30pm to 8pm)

Bookings taken at Earth & Sky Office or phone 03 680 6960
Transport provided from Earth & Sky
Entry Fee $10 per Adult & Children Free
Sausage Sizzle will be available $2.00
Drinks $2.00

Come and join us at Cowan’s Hill for twilight and see the star’s emerge.
Use our telescopes and talk with our knowledgeable Astronomy guides.
(In case of bad weather the Party will be on Sunday 29th April, same time & place).WJ7C4069 Global Star Party

Lake Tekapo NZ Made Fete Reminder

Fete Update, Sunday, 18 March, 2012

Planning for the 4th annual Lake Tekapo NZ Made Fete is well underway with only 5 weeks to go to the grand event. The NZ Made Fete has become a main feature on the events calendar in Lake Tekapo with over 1000 people through the gates last year. The theme is NZ Made products, which has proven to be a hit with the local shoppers.

Fete at Lake Tekapo Lake Tekapo NZ Made Fete Reminder

Stallholder applications have now closed and despite being a bit uncertain as to how many stalls they were going to have attend this year, organisers are more than happy with the huge array of variety that have confirmed their availability.

Along with BBQ food, coffee, scones & muffins there will be 4 wineries to choose from; Point Bush Estate from Waimate, Braided River Winery from Canterbury, Quarry Rock Winery from Timaru and Haldon Station in the Mackenzie Basin. With all 4 being from different areas of the South Island their tastes are like chalk and cheese.

“We are amazed at how many new suppliers are attending this year. It is wonderful to see the high level of support we are receiving for our fundraising event” says organiser Raewyn Radford.

Tekapo Fete11 Lake Tekapo NZ Made Fete Reminder

Blair Martin of Flowing Stone Concrete Design of Wanaka is attending the NZ Made Fete for the first time. Blair makes individually designed items so no 2 pieces are ever exactly the same. His range is varied from planters to fire surrounds to bathroom vanity to kitchen bench tops.

Lowburn Lavender from Cromwell is also a new supplier. They grow their own lavender and make lavender oils, moisturizing soaps, balms & healing creams as well as having lavender crafts & plants available.

The Cotton Room is a well-known local company from Timaru making beautiful women’s clothing from stunning fabrics and they are also attending the fete for the first time this year.

Barrel Smokers NZ is a local Fairlie based business making food smokers out of wine barrels. Also cleverly designed from the staves of the barrels are tables, chairs & candleholders. Beautifully designed and made.

Local artist, Jessica Murray, will be exhibiting her amazing range of dough bread creations. Jessica is well known locally for her last creation, which fetched over $2000 from Annah Stretton at the Fashion Extravaganza held in Lake Tekapo last year.

Tekapo Fete2 Lake Tekapo NZ Made Fete Reminder

Gilbert & Keen will also be presenting their lifestyle range of clothing for women for the first time this year. 100% made and designed in Temuka. Can’t get much more New Zealand Made than that.

Along with a lot of newcomers there are the regular supporters who have been coming since inception in 2009. Caffe Piccolo for great coffee, Tissue Art for interesting art on canvas, Mr Whippy, Tekapo Lions Club for yummy sausage sizzle, Waipopo Rhododendrons & Peonies, Possum scarves, hats, gloves & throws made by Gillian Small of Rotherham and chocolate galore from the House of Chocolate.

Tekapo Fete3 Lake Tekapo NZ Made Fete Reminder

For excitement the Water Walkers will be back this year. This was a lot of fun last year & was very popular especially as the weather was so hot in the afternoon. As a new addition Bungy Tramp will feature with their trampoline style jumps in a harness; see how high you can go!

There will be fantastic live entertainment from local band The Vaguely Familiars who will be supported by The B Minors. Both made up of very talented locals from Twizel, Mt Cook, and Lake Tekapo & Fairlie.

Entry is only $10 for adults with under 16 yrs free. As an added bonus, all adult entry tickets go in a prize draw to win a weekend in lake Tekapo for 2 adults. Prize includes 2 nights accommodation from Discover Tekapo, a night sky evening tour with Earth & Sky, hot pools entry from Alpine Springs & Spa, a boat tour on Lake Tekapo from Cruise Tekapo and meal vouchers from Reflections Restaurant & Mackenzie’s Bar & Grill. A value of over $700.00!

Check out these sites and more, at the Lake Tekapo NZ MADE Fete on Sunday 18th March 2012, at the Mt John Homestead gardens in Lake Tekapo, signposted from the town centre.

Lake Tekapo NZ Made Fete, Lake Tekapo

New Zealand’s first summer tube ride opens at Tekapo Springs

Tekapo Springs in Lake Tekapo has recently opened the country’s first summer tubing facility at the Tekapo Springs Hot Pools and Day Spa complex on the shores of Lake Tekapo in the Mackenzie Country. 

Riders use the winter snow tubes, but the base of the tubes are reinforced for use on the artificial matting. There is an existing Magic Carpet conveyor lift to take people quickly up to the top of the 150 metre slope.

The facility has been installed on the winter snow tube park on the lower slopes of Mount John. It uses synthetic carpet with the same slippery properties as snow, and curves, corners and slopes on the thrilling ride-on-gravity.

Summer Tube Alpine Springs 2 1024x681 New Zealand’s first summer tube ride opens at Tekapo Springs

Cathy Hemsworth, Business Development Manager for Tekapo Springs, said summer tubing had proved so popular in Europe and North America that 500 facilities had been installed in just a few years.
“It’s become a real craze and we’re delighted to be the first in New Zealand to offer such a great summer adventure ride that’s safe for all the family.  They are incredibly popular in Europe where they’re operating in urban and rural settings,” Cathy  tells us.

“The summer tube experience will add to the roller and blade skating attractions and the three hot pools we offer, . I’m sure it’ll be a very popular combo for families here and there will be a lot of younger people who will want to tube and talk about it on their social networks.”

“Tubers get the thrills and spills of an exciting downhill ride in a safe environment, and as operators, it means we can use the same slope and conveyor lift for both winter and summer rides.”

Summer Tube Alpine Springs New Zealand’s first summer tube ride opens at Tekapo Springs

Lake Tekapo Fishing Competition

Once again the Lake Tekapo Fishing Competition will be held on the 17th March 2012. For a number of years, this highly popular event has been an attraction on the blue green waters of the lake. For more detail follow the links  to the official poster advertisment or the
Entry Form

Now, I know this is a few months away but you need to start planning a relaxing weekend off for the Lake Tekapo Fishing Competition on the 17th March followed by the NZ MADE Fete on the 18th March,  two great events to encourage people to visit beautiful Lake Tekapo. Perhaps you might choose to even stay the night. Theres plenty of accommodation to suit all budgets and lots of lovely Cafes to choose from too!

Bluewater Lake Tekapo Fishing Competition