FAQs

Lakestone Lodge is a boutique, off-grid, 5-star lodge located on the shores of Lake Pukaki in New Zealand’s Mackenzie Region, between Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park and Lake Tekapo.
The lodge offers luxury accommodation with panoramic views of Lake Pukaki and Aoraki / Mt Cook, along with a hosted guest experience including dining, star gazing, massages and tours

Lakestone Lodge is located near Twizel in the South Island of New Zealand, approximately:

45 minutes from Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
30 minutes from Lake Tekapo
15 minutes drive from Twizel

Airports
3.5 hours’ drive from Christchurch Airport
3 hours from Queenstown
3.5 hours drive from Dunedin Airport
1.45 hours drive from Timaru airport

Please be aware that there are no shops or restaurants within walking distance. The nearest town is Twizel (15 minutes’ drive), so we recommend planning ahead.

As a small business, any cancellations greatly affect our operations and we ask you to be aware of this when you book.

Individual room bookings: made directly with Lakestone Lodge:
Cancellation within 48 hours of booking being made: no charge (deposit refunded).
Cancellation within 7 days of arrival date: 100% forfeit of the total booking price
Cancellation at any other time: 10% forfeit of the total booking price

Exclusive Use Bookings: For any cancellation of bookings for the full lodge:
Cancellation within 48 hours of booking being made: no charge (deposit refunded).
Cancellation within 60 days of arrival date: 50% forfeit of the total booking price
Cancellation at any other time: 10% forfeit of the total booking price

3rd Party Bookings: For bookings made through a 3rd party, (eg Travel Agent, Booking.com), their cancellation policy will apply.

No shows will be charged the full amount of the booking.
Please note that we highly recommend that you book travel insurance in case of an unexpected cancellation.

Lakestone Lodge offers:

Lake View Super King Rooms (maximum 2 guests)
The super king rooms have a shared fridge and tea and coffee making facilities in the lounge (complimentary barista coffee is available at anytime between 8am and 9pm).

Lake View Spa Suite (maximum 2 guests, larger room with a private outdoor spa)
The Lake View Spa Suite is larger than the Super King room and has a Californian king sized bed. It has an outdoor hot tub in the private courtyard. It has windows on two sides of the room, a double vanity in the bathroom and its own fridge and tea and coffee making facilities as well as a complimentary minibar.

All lodge rooms are designed for couples and feature uninterrupted lake and mountain views.

All of our Lodge room types have uninterrupted views of Lake Pukaki and Aoraki / Mt Cook, private courtyards and baths under big view windows. All rooms have separate showers.

These are separate accommodation units situated behind Lakestone Lodge

The apartments are a more independent, self-catered option:

One or two-bedroom apartments sleeping up to 4 guests
Meals are not included
Views are more limited compared to the lodge
Self catering with a kitchen and laundry

No, Lakestone Lodge is an adults-focused property and does not accommodate children under the age of 13..

However children are welcome to stay in the lodge with exclusive bookings or anytime in the Pukaki Family Apartments located behind Lakestone Lodge.

We aim to make Lakestone Lodge as welcoming and inclusive as possible for all guests.

All guest rooms and shared areas are on ground level with wide doorways for easier access. We do have one room that is more easily accessible than others and closer to communal facilities. If you would like this room please let our team know when making your booking.

We have a gravel car park with a designated park right by the entrance door for guests with limited mobility, and we’re happy to assist with luggage and check-in.

Our showers are walk-in style, and our accessible room has a bench available for use in the shower.

Service dogs (certified disability assist dogs) are welcome in accordance with New Zealand law.

The lodge is naturally quiet, and we’re happy to support guests with sensory sensitivities or other specific needs — just let us know.

While some outdoor areas include gravel and natural paths, our team is always happy to help with access around the grounds.

If you have any specific access requirements or questions before booking, please do not hesitate to contact us stay@lakestone.co.nz

No we purposefully chose not to install tvs in the guest rooms to give people time to enjoy the scenery outside. We do have a media room for guests to enjoy a large screen tv and surround sound. We have all the Sky channels available as well as chromecast for Netflix, Disney+ etc.
Tablets are also available on request.

The Pukaki Family Apartments have a smart TV in the lounge with Sky Movies and Sky Sport as well as chromecast for Netflix, Disney+ etc.

The lodge room rate includes accommodation for up to 2 guests and a 3 course dinner and cooked and continental breakfast.

The Pukaki Family Apartments rate does not include any meals.

Stays include our daily changing set 3-course dinner and cooked / continental breakfast.

Dinner is served at 7pm and can cater to all dietary requirements provided we know of them in advance. If you arrive after 7:00pm we will offer you a limited menu which is available until 9:30pm. If you arrive after 9:30pm our kitchen will be closed and we recommend having something to eat en route to Lakestone Lodge.

Absolutely. Please notify us prior to arrival and our chef can prepare a menu that caters to any dietary requirements.

However, please note that all food is prepared in the same kitchen, and we cannot guarantee a completely allergen-free environment.

Popular activities include:

Visiting Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
Walking the Hooker Valley Track
Glacier Explorers boat tours on Tasman Lake
Scenic flights with Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters

Exploring the Kettlehole Track directly behind the lodge
Cycling on the 300km Alps2Ocean Cycle trail which runs directly in front of the lodge
Stargazing - we run a Night Sky Experience from Lakestone Lodge

Visiting the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo
Walking up Mt John

We strongly recommend self-driving due to our remote location. There are no taxis or public transport services directly to the lodge.

Transfers are available on request either as transportation to/from the lodge, along the Alps2Ocean cycleway, to local attractions and other towns. Airport transfers can also be arranged.

The shuttle prices each way for 1-4 passengers are below:
Lake Tekapo: $150
Mt Cook: $250
Twizel: $75
Christchurch: $1000
Queenstown: $900

Hourly guide/driver/vehicle/fuel/tax/insurance $125/hr inclusive
There is an additional charge to transport bikes depending on how many and what type.

Yes, Lakestone Lodge offers a guided Night Sky Experience for in-house guests, subject to weather. The lodge is located within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, one of the best places in the world for stargazing.

Please note: tours are not available in December or January due to late nightfall.

Lakestone Lodge has a licensed restaurant with a comprehensive list of cocktails, wine, beer, spirits and non alcoholic beverages available. During dinner service if you would like to bring a special bottle of wine to the table there is a $15 corkage fee.

Yes, you can charge your phone, tablet, camera or use other power consuming devices at any time although ideally this is done when the sun is shining. We are completely off grid and generate all our power from the sun. At night the power comes from our battery bank, in certain times of heavy use or not much sun one of our back up generators might kick in automatically and power the lodge while simultaneously charging the batteries. This is all seamless and happens in the background and the only thing you may notice is a slight flicker in the LED lights. All our power is 240v and we have standard NZ power sockets located beside all beds and in bathrooms.

Yes, you can charge your electric bike - ideally this is done during the day when the sun is shining.

We are completely off grid and generate all our power from the sun. At night the power comes from our battery bank, in certain times of heavy use or not much sun one of our back up diesel generators might kick in automatically to power the lodge and charge the batteries. This is all seamless and happens in the back ground and the only thing you may notice is a slight flicker in the LED lights. For many obvious reasons we try and avoid having to use the generators and any help from the guests is appreciated.

Yes - at certain times on a sunny day through a 240v 10amp power point located near the main entrance to the lodge (you will need to being your own charging cables) or a 7kw charger located at the Pukaki Family Apartments.

We are completely off grid and generate our power from the sun, we normally have excess solar power in the afternoons from 1pm until 5pm on a sunny day in summer. In winter we don't have much spare power. After that you might be sucking out of the Lodge batteries to charge your car battery and we may need to run the generator (which kind of defeats the purpose of an electric car) and there would be a charge for this power.
We recommend you recharge your electric car in Twizel whilst enjoying the local cafes. Zero has 6 x 150kw chargers and Chargenet has 1 x 150kw located in Twizel.

Check-in: 3:00pm – 6:30pm
Check-out: 10:00am

Can I arrive early?
Guests are welcome to arrive from 2:00pm to drop luggage, but rooms may not be ready due to housekeeping schedules.

Pukaki Family Apartments check in is from 3pm and check out is 10am.