Lake Pukaki: New Zealand’s Otherworldly Wrinkle in Time Set
Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time sends its characters across the universe to search for a missing father. For a handful of scenes, that universe was actually New Zealand’s Mackenzie Basin. The Lake Pukaki filming location gave director Ava DuVernay one of her most striking backdrops. Its natural turquoise water was enhanced digitally to look like something from another planet entirely.
This guide covers what was filmed here. It also explains how Lake Pukaki fits alongside the film’s other South Island locations. Finally, it covers how travelers can visit this same stretch of the Mackenzie Basin today.
Quick facts:
- Location: Lake Pukaki, Mackenzie Basin, near Aoraki/Mount Cook
- What was filmed here: scenes featuring Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) on the lakeshore, digitally enhanced for the film’s alien planet sequences
- Filming period: February 2017, over roughly two weeks across four South Island locations
- Director: Ava DuVernay, based on the novel by Madeleine L’Engle
- Other NZ locations: Lake Hawea, Wanaka, and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
Lake Pukaki Filming Location: Turning a Real Lake Into an Alien World
Lake Pukaki is famous in its own right for its striking turquoise colour. This comes from finely ground rock particles, known as glacial flour, suspended in its meltwater. For A Wrinkle in Time, the production leaned into that same natural vibrancy and pushed it further. In the finished film, Mrs. Whatsit, played by Reese Witherspoon, appears on the lake’s shore in a sequence meant to represent an entirely different planet.
Visual effects artists enhanced the lake’s colour even beyond its naturally intense blue. They also digitally reshaped the surrounding mountains into what one report described as leaning towers of rock. A few details help explain the choices the production made here:
- The crew filmed additional New Zealand sequences of characters falling through the sky and fleeing a crumbling landscape, using the same dramatic Mackenzie Basin scenery as a base
- So much of the finished shot relied on digital enhancement. Because of this, many viewers who know Lake Pukaki well still don’t immediately recognize it on screen
- The lake’s role in the film was brief. Even so, it was visually memorable enough to feature prominently in the film’s official marketing trailer
A Wrinkle in Time New Zealand: The Full South Island Shoot
Lake Pukaki was one part of a wider A Wrinkle in Time New Zealand shoot, which spanned four locations across the South Island in February 2017. Supervising location manager Clayton Tikao has said the production’s brief was simple. He described it as “grand and beautiful,” with a look that felt otherworldly without requiring any imagination to sell it.
The production’s New Zealand leg included several distinct locations, each serving a different part of the story:
- Lake Hawea, in Otago, was the first location locked in and hosted much of the film’s most dramatic mountain scenery
- Wanaka provided additional alpine backdrops for the cast during their two weeks on location
- Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park added further dramatic peaks to round out the film’s otherworldly look
- Lake Pukaki, near Mount Cook Village, contributed the turquoise lakeshore scenes
Cast members stayed near Lake Pukaki at Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat during filming. Lead actress Storm Reid personally thanked the property afterward. Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay reportedly joined a dinner and stargazing session at the property’s Pukaki Wine Cellar Observatory during their stay.
Aoraki Mount Cook National Park: The Wider Backdrop
Lake Pukaki sits at the doorstep of Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, home to New Zealand’s highest peak at 3,724 metres. The park’s dramatic scale is exactly what drew the production here in the first place, alongside its neighboring lake’s unusual colour.
Beyond its film history, the park offers plenty for travelers regardless of any Wrinkle in Time connection:
- The Hooker Valley Track, considered one of New Zealand’s best day walks, crosses two swing bridges before reaching a glacier lake filled with icebergs
- The Tasman Glacier, New Zealand’s longest, offers boat tours and heli-hiking options nearby
- The park sits within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, making it one of the best stargazing locations on the planet
Our Mount Cook National Park guide covers the park’s walks and practical visitor information in more detail. Our Mt Cook Day Tour combines a Lake Pukaki stop with the wider national park in a single guided day out.
Mackenzie Basin Tour: Seeing Lake Pukaki in Person
Lake Pukaki sits directly along State Highway 8. Because of this, it’s one of the easiest film locations in this part of the South Island to visit independently. Most travelers see the lake as part of a wider Mackenzie Basin tour rather than a dedicated stop. It naturally connects Christchurch, Lake Tekapo, and Aoraki/Mount Cook Village along the same route.
Our Lake Pukaki Alpine Vista Tour covers the lake and its surrounding viewpoints directly. The Braemar Station Mt Cook Tour offers private access to elevated views over Lake Pukaki and the Ben Ohau Range. This tour runs from a working high-country farm. For a broader look at the region, our Mount Cook & Mackenzie guide rounds up the wider basin’s attractions.
Comparing the Film’s Four New Zealand Locations
| Location | Role in the Film | What Visitors Do Today |
| Lake Pukaki | Turquoise lakeshore scenes, digitally enhanced | Scenic drives, photography, guided lake tours |
| Lake Hawea | First location locked in; major mountain scenery | Kayaking, fishing, scenic drives near Wanaka |
| Wanaka | Additional alpine backdrops | Hiking, skiing, lakeside dining |
| Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park | Dramatic peaks rounding out the otherworldly look | Hooker Valley Track, Tasman Glacier tours, stargazing |
Lake Tekapo Dark Sky Reserve: A Natural Extension of the Visit
Most travelers combine a Lake Pukaki stop with nearby Lake Tekapo. It sits within the same Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve that covers the wider national park. Both lakes share the same road route, so it makes sense to experience the region’s stargazing reputation while you’re in the area. The film’s own cast and crew did much the same during their stay near Pukaki.
Our Dark Sky Crater Experience at Cowan’s Observatory offers guided stargazing under some of the clearest skies in the world. It combines astronomy with Māori celestial storytelling.
Planning a Trip Around Lake Pukaki
Lake Pukaki connects naturally with the rest of the Mackenzie Basin. Because of this, it works well as a stop within a longer South Island route rather than an isolated destination. A South Island tour package can build Lake Pukaki, Aoraki/Mount Cook, and Lake Tekapo into a single itinerary alongside Queenstown or Christchurch. You can also add Lake Pukaki directly to your custom vacation package wishlist while you plan.
If you’re chasing more of New Zealand’s screen history along the way, our New Zealand filming locations roundup covers other South Island productions. That includes Vertical Limit’s climbing scenes at Aoraki/Mount Cook itself.
When to Visit
Conditions around Lake Pukaki shift noticeably by season:
- Summer (December-February): the warmest weather and longest daylight hours, ideal for the Hooker Valley Track and lake photography
- Autumn and spring: quieter roads and crisp, clear air, often producing some of the best reflection photography of the season
- Winter (June-August): cold and occasionally snowy, though clear winter nights offer some of the year’s best stargazing conditions
Weather in the Mackenzie Basin can change quickly. Regardless of season, it’s worth checking conditions before any longer walks in the national park.
Why This Corner of New Zealand Keeps Getting Cast as Somewhere Else
Lake Pukaki isn’t the only Mackenzie Basin location that has doubled for a fictional world. The wider region’s combination of glacial lakes, open tussock plains, and dramatic peaks gives filmmakers a rare kind of blank canvas. There are almost no visible roads, buildings, or infrastructure to break the illusion. That same quality has drawn productions here for decades, from Vertical Limit’s climbing sequences at Aoraki/Mount Cook to more recent projects filmed further south in Central Otago.
For location scouts, the appeal is straightforward. A single stretch of highway near Lake Pukaki can supply glacial lake shots, alpine peaks, and open plains within a short drive of each other. Crews don’t need to relocate cast and crew between setups.
New Zealand’s Real Alien Planet
Most viewers watching A Wrinkle in Time have no idea that its otherworldly lakeshore sequence began as an ordinary afternoon beside one of New Zealand’s most photographed lakes. That’s part of the appeal of visiting in person. The turquoise water needs no digital enhancement to look striking, even without the leaning rock towers added for the film.
For travelers, that authenticity is the draw. You might be chasing the Lake Pukaki filming location itself, the wider Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, or a night under the Lake Tekapo Dark Sky Reserve. Either way, this stretch of the Mackenzie Basin delivers scenery that needed very little help to look otherworldly in the first place.
Browse our Mount Cook & Mackenzie tours or get in touch to start planning a trip built around Lake Pukaki and the wider region.
