Full guide to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
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.
Mount Cook National Park is world-renowned for its scenery and is popular among hiking and walking enthusiasts. Situated in the southern alps, the park is home to New Zealand’s tallest mountain– yup you guessed it, Mount Cook. It’s been the playground for climbing greats like Sir Edmund Hilary and Rob Hall both of which had 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 probably want to like walking even just a little as all the best views make you work a bit for them. There are some other pretty awesome activities you can do in the park as well like flights, heli rides, glacier landings and star gazing.
How to get there
It’s pretty easy to get to Mount Cook. 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. Please make sure you use them, not the side of the road. Yes people do that and the residents hate it.
Hiking at Mount Cook
Tasman Lake
On the other side of the Mount Cook range is Tasman Lake and 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 lookout is a short 30 minute walk up the moraine wall via steps. From up here you can see the entire lake and down to the glacier at the end. You’ll always 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.
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.
Kea point
This is the perfect track to take if you want to gain a little in elevation but aren’t really wanting a hard hike. The track leads to a lookout over the Mueller Glacial Lake with Mount Cook standing exceptionally tall in the background. From here you can hear the rushing river of the Hooker River and it’s not uncommon to see Keas up close.
The track starts from the Whitehorse Hill campground along with the Sealy Tarns and Mueller tracks.
Distance: 2.8 km return
Time: 1 hour
Altitude: 200 meters
Hooker Valley track
Probably the most popular track in the park and in the south island, the Hooker Valley track is one you don’t want to miss. The walk is pretty flat most of the way crossing rivers over swing bridges and leading to the beautiful Hooker Lake for an up close and personal look at Mount 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.
Distance: 10km
Time: 2-3 hours return
Altitude: 100 meters
Red Tarns
Another short hike is the one to Red Tarns. The track climbs steeply, mainly up steps, from the Mount Cook village shelter up the valley wall of Mount Sepastapol to alpine pools. They are called red tarns because of the red pond weed and the pools actually look red!
The scenery is beautiful, of course, with views of Mount Cook and the surrounding snowy mountains. There is a bench at the top and is a lovely spot for sunset.
Distance: 2.4 km
Time: 2 hour return
Altitude: 300 meters
Sealy Tarns
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 of Mount 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! Not to mention the tarn at the top especially if you can catch reflections in the water. The picnic table on the side is a great spot to stop for a snack and take it all in.
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.
Distance: 4.5 km
Time: 2-3 hour return
Altitude: 520 meteres
Mueller Hut
Photo credit: Sandy Brindson, The Afterwork photographer
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 toliet. 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 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) 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. For a more in-depth overview, check out Sandy’s blog post about her first time up.
Distance: 8.5 km
Time:7-8 hours return
Altitude: 1050 meters
Mount Ollivier
If you want to extend your walk a bit more, 30 minutes from the hut is a track up to a false summit of Mount Ollivier. The views from there are 360 with Mount Cook, Mount Kitchener and Mount Sealy towering around. This is about 500 meters from the hut and gives better views than the actual summit of Mount Ollivier.
This mountain was Sir Edmund Hillary’s first climb way back in 1939!
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:Y
- 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 and there are hot showers, a kitchen and bathrooms at the shelter that can be used.
Adventures in the area
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/Mount Cook 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.