Pukaki Air Lodge is a five-room boutique bed and breakfast built on the edge of Pukaki Airfield, 3km from Twizel in the heart of the Mackenzie Country. Opened in October 2018 by aviation enthusiasts Grant and Mary Murdoch, it began as a lifestyle hangar for their lovingly restored 1966 Nanchang CJ6 and grew into a lodge once they realised the views were far too good to keep to themselves.
Every room enjoys uninterrupted, clear views across tussock grassland to Aoraki Mount Cook and the eastern mountains. The Superior Ensuite rooms sleep up to two with private ensuites and individual access to the outdoor area, while the Family/Accessible room offers a queen bed and two king-singles for one to four guests. Guests praise the breakfast served in the dining room, and one reviewer highlights the thoughtful touch of a loan car for trips into Twizel.
The lodge is a magnet for aviators — fly into Pukaki Airport and you can taxi down and park right outside — and staying guests can view the hangar planes and even sit in the Nanchang. It also hosts aero club fly-and-stays, Alps 2 Ocean cycling groups, photography and stargazing tours, and small conferences. Sitting in the middle of an international dark sky reserve with little to no light pollution, nights bring the Milky Way, occasional auroras and famously quiet, star-filled skies, while days begin with the scenic drive to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park on the doorstep.
Pukaki Air Lodge is not your average bed and breakfast. Built on the edge of Pukaki Airfield, 3km from the Mackenzie township of Twizel, this five-room boutique lodge is also a working hangar home — and watching light aircraft and skydivers drift down against a backdrop of Aoraki Mount Cook is simply part of the stay. Hosts Grant and Mary Murdoch opened the lodge in October 2018 and have been welcoming aviators, cyclists and sightseers ever since.
The story behind the lodge is a labour of love. Grant and Mary are aviation enthusiasts who spent twenty years restoring a 1966 Nanchang CJ6, a Chinese military trainer affectionately known as the 'chang'. When their three children left the family home in Christchurch, the couple spotted the perfect opportunity to build a lifestyle hangar on Pukaki Airfield. That hangar project quickly became an accommodation project too — the views, they decided, were far too good to keep to themselves.
The lodge offers superior ensuite, hotel-style rooms with arguably the best views in the Twizel area. Every room looks out uninterrupted across tussock grassland to Aoraki Mount Cook and the eastern mountains, scenery that changes with the light from dawn to dusk.
Two room types are on offer. The Superior Ensuite room sleeps up to two people, with a private ensuite and individual access to the outdoor area. The Family/Accessible room is equipped with a queen-size bed and two king-singles, accommodating one to four people, and suits families or guests needing accessibility. Guests consistently mention the breakfast served in the shared dining room — 'all you could need', as one reviewer put it — with a front-row seat over the airfield.
For pilots, the lodge is hard to beat. Gather a group of friends, fly into Pukaki Airport, and you can taxi down and park right outside. The hangar is part of the building itself, though well separated in terms of noise. Staying guests are welcome to view the planes and even sit in the Nanchang — a perk not available to the general public.
The lodge is equally popular with groups on the ground. It regularly hosts aero club fly-and-stays, cycling groups riding the Alps 2 Ocean trail, photography and stargazing tours, and small conference groups and meetings. One happy guest even noted that Mary lends a car for trips into Twizel, just 3km away.
Beyond the lodge itself, the location is a springboard for the outdoor activities the Mackenzie Basin is known for. The lodge sits conveniently at the start of the scenic drive to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, with fishing, biking, hiking, lake activities and cycling all within easy reach.
Nearby adventures highlighted by the lodge include stargazing, scenic flights, skydiving, skiing, farm tours and exploring the region's lakes and rivers. And at night there is arguably no better show: the lodge sits in the middle of an international dark sky reserve with little to no light pollution, so the Milky Way, picturesque auroras, sunrises and sunsets over the mountains are all on the menu.
By day, aircraft come and go; by night, the location is incredibly quiet, guaranteeing a peaceful sleep under a sky full of stars. For travellers chasing a stay that feels genuinely of this place — tussock, mountains, big sky and the hum of a propeller overhead — Pukaki Air Lodge delivers. Gift vouchers are available for anyone wanting to give somebody special a getaway under the stars.