Mackenzie Basin offers visitors a visual experience of what makes New Zealand landscapes so unforgettable.
Either way you enter into The Mackenzie Basin, everyone notices a sudden change in the landscapes ahead of them. From the north as you wind your way around corners, often covered in low clouded hills, or from the straight stretches of the South your provided both ways with a sudden striking view ahead that peaks the senses. A long line of snow cloaked mountains pierce across the horizon as if rising our of nowhere. Often big blue sunny skies lay cast across golden tussock covered grasslands, making the mountainside have a velvet like feel to them with a contrasting array of bright colours, and some days even every colour in the rainbow can be found in this unforgettable region of New Zealand’s South Island..
A unique and mystical place, the Mackenzie Basin high country is different from any other mountain region in the world.
The Mackenzie Basin is known as the largest intermontane basin in New Zealand which is a major reason why this area looks so different from the rest. An intermontane basin is basically an area of land that is bordered by mountain ranges. The ranges that primarily border us in the Mackenzie Country consist of the striking Ben Ohau Mountains to the west, the Two Thumbs range to the east, the Liebig Range to the north, and the Benmore Range and the Grampian Mountains to the south.
What happens is the Mackenzie Basin is often protected from the adverse weather systems that slam into the mountains from either side, and it creates a protected area whereby we miss out on a lot of the bad weather. Instead, we get slammed with super high winds that come from a westerly, which end up drying out the soil and grasslands, creating its own semi-desert-like landscapes and a unique dry-land ecosystem. The Mackenzie High Country is a unique and mystical place, different from any other mountain region in the world.
Experiencing natural landscapes offers visitors a deeper understanding of this special part of New Zealand.
The High Country of the Southern Alps offers defining features and landforms found nowhere else in New Zealand. For the average tourist enjoying the scenery, it is impossible to know just how special the area’s landscapes truly are. One must learn about the incredible glaciation processes that have occurred over the thousands of years and essentially formed the Mackenzie Basin. We can see and explore the outstanding natural landscapes outside of Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki if we just choose to venture a little bit further off the beaten path.
Our Lake Tekapo Tours offer visitors not only visual experience of the high country landscapes but an educational tour from Lake Tekapo whereby visitors can gain an insight into why the Mackenzie Basin holds such breathtaking vistas and unique landscapes. By teaching visitors about the environment around them, they may develop a deep connection with its beauty and timeless wonder, which will hopefully allows people to hold more respect and care for such unique places and for the earth as a whole.
High Country landscapes have a story to tell. It is a lesson in how nature forms her beauty over thousands of years.
Tekapo Adventures believes understanding the landscapes around you allows you to experience them in a deeper way. Thousands of people explore Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, and Lake Ohau for their brilliant turquoise-colored waters. These lakes also offer an indescribable beauty from the source of their existence. By going beyond the lakefront and accessing the wilderness, we gain a deeper view into the breathtaking backcountry wilderness.
From mountains spilling deep into the valleys, the braided river systems birth incredible glacial fed lakes in the Mackenzie Basin. Being up close to these braided river systems and their source of snow-capped peaks is like stepping into a dream. These are among the most iconic landscapes of the world. Have you seen a braided river up close before? Have you ever wondered why its colors vary from a light opaque color versus a clear blue? Where do they start and how do they change?
Access private and remote high country stations for an unforgettable Mackenzie Basin experience.
Next time you look in awe at the impressive natural beauty, think about the processes that form such unique scenery. By joining our Lake Tekapo Tours by Scenic 4WD, you’ll travel through places you would not otherwise see. You’ll not only marvel at the unforgettable scenery, but you’ll also develop a deeper understanding of its creation. For this reason, we guarantee you’ll come off our tours more inspired. In addition, you’ll have a few more stories to tell your friends about the beautiful Mackenzie Basin. Our Tekapo Tours range from 1.5 Hour Tekapo Scenic Merino High Country Tours to our longer 3 and 4-hour journeys into some of New Zealand’s most incredible private High Country Stations, exclusively accessed by our Scenic 4WD Tours.
Tekapo Adventures – Scenic 4WD Tours
“Experience The Outstanding Natural Landscapes Of The Mackenzie Country”
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Email: info@tekapoadventures.com
PH: +64 20 4156 4900 (020 4156 4900)
