Okay, so there’s this place in New Zealand, there’s lots of mountains, glaciers, lakes, hiking tracks and the views are amazing. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s pretty cool. And by cool I mean epic.
Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park is world-renowned for its scenery and is popular among hiking enthusiasts. Situated in the southern alps, the park is home to New Zealand’s tallest mountain– yup you guessed it, Aoraki/Mt Cook. It’s been the playground for climbing greats like Sir Edmund Hilary and Rob Hall both of which have summitted Everest numerous times, and climbed all throughout the southern alps.
Luckily and thankfully you don’t have to be anything close to a mountaineer to enjoy what this beautiful part of the country has to offer. You just have to love the great outdoors!
Visiting Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
We are very lucky in New Zealand that there is no cost to visit the National parks. Aoraki/Mt Cook National park is free to visit. It is however a very popular spot to explore and gets quite busy. Respect the park and others in it:
- Use the toliets provided
- Do not litter and take your rubbish with you
- Be focused and mindful when driving in and around the park
- Know your limits and register your hiking intentions at the DOC office in the village
- Dogs are not permitted anywhere in the park, even in your car
- Drones are not allowed
How to get there
It’s pretty easy to get to Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. There is one road in, one road out–highway 80 off of Highway 8. The closest town north is Tekapo (105km) and south, Twizel.(65km). The road from the highway takes about 45 minutes to get into the village.
AMENITIES
There is a self serve fuel station which is credit card only but there is also one in Tekapo and Twizel. The village has a small convenience store, restaurants and cafes. As you can imagine it is on the pricey side so it’s a good idea to bring some of your own food if you’re on a budget. There are public toilets in the village and at the Whitehorse Hill campground. Note that there are only long drop toliets available at the campground in the winter time.
When to visit Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
You can visit this amazing part of the country during any time of the year.
Summer– This is the most popular time of the year and where you will find the tracks the busiest. It can also be harder to book huts at this time. However track conditions are most favourable as there is no snow and the avalance risk is low.
Fall/autumn– I think this is the best time of the year to visit. Crowds are less, there is still snow dusting the mountains but not much as making it easier on the tracks up in the mountains. Weather is cooler but not as hot as the summer howevver it can be more volatile at this time and prone to random snow storms.
Winter– This is a close second best time of year. This is a great time to walk the short tracks and ones in the valley. The scenery with a coating of snow is beautiful- amazing opportunities for photography. Anything high up requires serious alpine skills and experience.
Spring– The temperature is certainly quite nice to hike in at this time however because it is warming up avalance risk is increased.
6 amazing hiking track in aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
Tasman GLACIER viewpoint & Blue lakes
100m gain | 1.5 km return | 25-45 minute return
On the other side of the Mount Cook range is Tasman Lake and the Tasman Glacier. The Tasman Glacier is the longest glacier in New Zealand and there are two different walks you can do to see it and the lake. One is up to the lookout, the other to the river mouth. Both are pretty easy and have exceptional views.
The path up to the view point is pretty much uphill the entire way. It’s a short 25 minute walk up the moraine wall. The view is absolutley worth the effort. You can see the entire lake and down to the glacier at the end. You’ll be able to see icebergs floating and the tour boats which really help put a new perspective on the scale of everything. On the way up you can veer off the path to the alpine fed Blue Lakes.
Tasman Lake Track
flat track | 2.7 km return | 40-50 minute return
You can also walk a flat path to the river mouth. It will take about 40 minutes round trip so you can easily do both walks in one day. I highly suggest doing both. The lookout brings the scale to life and the river mouth gives you a close look at the icebergs floating. To get closer to the lake you can walk over the boulders on the shore. This is the perfect spot for sunrise and photography.
Kea point
180 m gain | 2.8 km return | 50 min- 1 hour return
This is the perfect track to take if you want to get just a little higher but aren’t wanting a hard hike. The track leads to a lookout over the Mueller Glacial Lake with Aoraki/Mt Cook standing exceptionally tall in the background. From here you can hear the rushing river of the Hooker River, sometimes avalanches in the surrounding mountains and it’s not uncommon to see Keas up close.
The track starts from the Whitehorse Hill campground on the same track as the Sealy Tarns and Mueller Hut tracks. Follow the signs for the Kea point track.
Hooker Valley track
200 m gain | 10 km return | 2.5-3.5 hour return
The Hooker Valley track is the most popular track in the park and is one you definitely don’t want to miss. Even just walking to the first swing bridge, the views are incredible. The walk is pretty flat most of the way with a few undulations. You’ll cross swing bridges and go through tussocks on boardwalks leading to the beautiful Hooker Lake for an up close and personal look at Aoraki/Mt Cook. If you listen closely you may hear keas flying above or avalanches on the surrounding mountains.
Being that this walk is so popular, open and long in the summer, I highly suggest starting really early in the morning. You can avoid the crowds and the heat for a more enjoyable walk.
Hooker hut
200 m gain | 9 km return | 2-2.5 hour return
Located off the Hooker Valley Track, Hooker Hut is Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park’s oldest hut and a hidden gem! Quite literally, you cannot see this hut from the Hooker Valley Track where you veer off from as it is behind the moraine wall.
This hut has had quite a history of being moved due to damages from alpine conditions but has now been restored and is in a much safer and accessible place. The views from the hut are amazing and is away from the crowds. This is a perfect easy overnighter or a great first overnight stay as the track is pretty much flat the entire way. The hut has a log burner, stove with gas and long drop toilet. Read a more indepth post about Hooker Hut here.
This hut does need to be booked and can be done so through DOC’s booking system here.
Red Tarns track
300 m gain | 4.7 km return | 2-2.5 hour return
Another shorter hike is the Red Tarns track. A good middle option between the Kea point track and Sealy tarns. The track climbs steeply, mainly up steps, from the Aoraki/Mt Cook village shelter up the valley wall of Mount Sepastapol to alpine pools. They are called red tarns because of the red pond weed underneath. You’ll see the pools actually look red!
The scenery is beautiful, of course, with views of Aoraki/Mount Cook and the surrounding snowy mountains. There is a bench at the top to stop and take it all in.
Sealy Tarns
520 m gain | 4.5 km return | 2-3 hour return
If you’re looking for a good workout, Sealy Tarns is the track to do. It is called the ‘Stairway to heaven’ because of the 2200 steps that lead you to the epic views over Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. This track definitely works up a sweat but I always find it doesn’t take as long as I think or feel. Since it’s open most of the way it’s easy to take a break as no matter which way you turn your head the scenery is beautiful! The tarn at the ‘top’ just tops it all off especially if you can catch reflections in the water.
The Sealy Tarns track is the halfway point up to Mueller Hut. Although the walk isn’t overly long it’s always a good idea to be prepared. The weather can change very quickly and temperatures drop the higher you go.
The Afterwork Photographer
Mueller Hut
1050m gain | 8.5 km return | 7-8 hour return
Past the Sealy Tarns, is one of New Zealand’s best back country huts, Mueller Hut. This hut sees a lot of traffic in the year from both visitors to the country and locals. Located on the Sealy Range the hut is a serviced alpine hut with 28 beds and a long drop toilet. It was opened in 2003 by Sir Edmund Hilary as he used this area as his training grounds for Everest.
The track past Sealy Tarns is just as steep but very rocky and can get quite slippery so you’ll want to take your time on the way up and coming back down. The last 30 minutes is between the pass and the hut and is relatively easy so you’ll get a nice breather before you hit the hut.
This hut requires bookings from November to April for in the hut or if you want to set up a tent. Outside of those months (May to October) it is first come first serve. You can book with DOC’s booking system. It is a busy hut to get into but you can keep checking back for cancellations.
Again, the weather is always changing so make sure you pack for different weather conditions and bring extra food. Always register your trip intentions at the DOC office in the village. For a more in-depth overview, check out Sandy’s blog post about her first time up.
Where to stay
There are a few places to stay in the Mount Cook village but for the amount of people who visit, during summer, it can be very difficult getting a room. There is at least a low, medium and high budget accommodation to fit anyone’s needs. If you’re looking for a place to stay, you can try one of these places:
- YHA – $36-$180, shared dorms, private rooms
- Aoraki Court Motel – $125-$300+, motel units
- Aoraki Pine Lodge – $165-$300+, bunks, family rooms & twins
- Mt Cook Lodge & motels – $42-$270, dorms, family, studio and private rooms
Whitehorse Hill Campground
You can also pitch a tent or park your campervan and stay at the Whitehorse hill campground. This is the same spot where most of the walks in the area starts. This is a first come, first serve campground. There are 60 unpowered sites but when I went it was really just put your tent up and park your car where you can find a spot. In the busy months a DOC Ranger will be around to check to make sure everyone has paid. It’s only $15/night for adults, $7.50/children and there are hot showers, a kitchen and bathrooms at the shelter that can be used. Keep in mind during the winter months facilities are reduced.
other Adventures in the area
There are some other pretty awesome activities you can do in the park as well like flights, heli rides, glacier landings and star gazing.
On your way to the village, you won’t want to miss stopping at the beautiful Lake Pukaki. It’s not hard to miss but a great spot is Peter’s Lookout on the road into the village. This is where you can snap that iconic Mount Cook shot, fingers crossed the weather is good!
Also on the road into the village is NZ Alpine Lavender. They have row on row of lavender fields to walk around, take photos, I’ve been a few times and shop in their store for everything lavender!
Besides getting your hiking boots on to see the sights you can also get up in the air. These operators also offer glacier landings, skiing and snowboard adventures.
Since Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park is in the dark sky reserve it gives the best opportunity for stargazing. Big sky star gazing is located in the village and you can book tours through them. There are also guides and tours based in Tekapo and Twizel. I recommend contacting Rachel Gillespie of NZ Travel Adventure tours.
The Afterwork Photographer