Tekapo Military Training Area

Tekapo Military Training Area is set in the sparse, mountainous, and often snow-touched landscapes of the South Island. Tekapo provides a field training, firing and manoeuvre area for units of the New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Air Force and foreign militaries.

New Zealand Army sniper in Tekapo

Tekapo Military Training Area is an important site for initial field training, battle handling exercises and preparation for deployment to operations. Rugged and undulating, this training area is made up of 1700 ha of terrain, sits 800-1100m above sea level, and includes some ecologically sensitive and protected natural areas.

Shooters and spotters in the snow at the Tekapo Military Training Area during an exercise.

Two soldiers carrying barbed wire through the Tekapo Military Training Area

Soldiers fire weapons in the Tekapo Military Training area

Future work

Plans for the Tekapo training area include a potable water infiltration gallery, extensions to heavy and light vehicle tracks, range developments, and wilding conifer pest control programmes.

All new buildings will aim for high sustainability ratings to improve energy use.

Tekapo 0006 1993.1912 3317 Single file advance through a mine field Feb 1955

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