Mount Cook Aoraki National Park is one of New Zealand’s most popular places to visit. The park surrounds Mount Cook Aoraki and Mount Tasman (the country’s 2 tallest mountains) and is full of glacial-fed waterways and natural alpine environments. The area is also an internationally recognized dark-sky reserve, meaning there is near-zero light pollution for some epic nighttime stargazing.
An interesting fact, you actually get within 20-30km (12-18 miles) of Mount Cook while visiting Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers in Westlands National Park, and can see the two peaks reflecting off Lake Matheson (we did, check the links!), but since there are no roads through the mountain range it takes more than 6 hours to reach the park! This fact blew our minds, and is a good illustration of just how remote the South Island of New Zealand is.
We took the very long way around to Mount Cook, arriving at the national park after our time in Dunedin. While there we spent one day at a holiday park –
– and another at at a DOC (Dept of Conservation) site at the foot of Mount Cook near the Hooker Valley Trail:
While there, we took a day hike up the Hooker Valley Trail. After the hike, it is easy to see why this trail is one of New Zealand’s most popular.
Unlike the difficult tramping trail we took to Marian Lake, this path is smoothly graded and covered with gravel or boardwalk up the entire 5km length. This makes it relatively easy for beginners, older hikers, or families. Additionally, the trail only rises about 80m (~250 feet) in total, so while you are constantly surrounded by mountain views it never feel like you’re climbing up them.
Finally, the views all along the way are spectacular. You walk through native alpine environments (I believe called “tarns”) the whole way, cutting through valleys in the mountain range. All around you you can hear rocks tumbling down and small avalanches, but you are safely away from the danger zones (going off-trail is a different story). You’ll cross 3 swing bridges suspended over huge canyons as well:
All of this is even before you reach the trail’s destination – the Hooker Glacier and Hooker Lake. This is a lake fed entirely by snowmelt and the same-named glacier. You can see the peak of Mount Cook in the distance, the glacier at the far end of the lake, and icebergs floating in the turquoise-blue water (getting its color from the sediments in the glacier.
This is another one of those New Zealand “must-do’s” (the list is getting long at this point) if you’re ever in the country. There are really no bad (or even mediocre) elements of this hike!
