Top Things to do in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu)
Top Hotels in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu)
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Top 9 Budget-friendly Things to do in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu), South Island
Discover the best top things to do in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu), New Zealand including Hooker Valley Track, Aoraki/Mt. Cook, Mueller Hut Route, Kea Point Track, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre, Sealy Tarns Track, Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier walks, Red Tarns Track, Governors Bush Walk.
Restaurants in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu)
1. Hooker Valley Track
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,041 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By Falsendrach - Auckland Central, New Zealand
We did the Hooker Valley trail in May, just after NZ dropped to Covid Alert Level 2. It was a great time to do it with the lack of tourists around. Because of the popularity the Hooker Trail is usually very busy, sometimes with so many people on the trail you feel like you're walking in a queue. Parking can be an issue if you're arriving later in the day and you sometimes have to park on the access road and walk 15-20mins to the trail start. With the current Covid international travel restrictions though there's few tourists and it's not hard to get a space in the carpark. Wonderfully though this time it felt virtually empty. Sure, we ran into other people but only about 60-70 rather than the 1000+ you'd expect. The trail is about 90mins each way, culminating at Hooker Lake. Do allow extra time as we happily spent an hour playing at the frozen-over lake skipping stones & throwing sheets of ice around. As far as reward vs effort goes, the Hooker Valley trail is one of the best short tracks you can do as it's wide, mostly flat, taking you over three suspension bridges that offer gorgeous views of turbulent pale azure water rushing underneath, majestic hills sweeping up on either side and Mt Cook/Aoraki as a stunning backdrop. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes as the trail is mostly rock, & switch out to boots in colder/wetter weather. Layers are essential & you'll find that coming back in the afternoon it's quite a bit cooler once the sun has dipped behind the peaks. And on that note, bring a torch or headlamp if you're setting off within 4 hours of sunset. There are some toilets about two thirds the way along the track but they aren't great. You should definitely pack some hand sanitiser & a roll of toilet paper in case they run out (they frequently do). At the height of the tourist seasons there's usually a queue.
2. Aoraki/Mt. Cook
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 532 reviews
Reviewed By BradJill - Hong Kong, China
Mount Cook also referred locally by its Maori name of Aoraki is the highest mountain in New Zealand and the darling of the Southern Alps range on South Island. It dominates the peaks of the Mount Cook National Park and can be viewed well from both sides of the mountain range. We recently spent some time around Mount Cook National Park enjoying views of Aoraki from numerous hiking areas and trails. Most enjoyable was probably at Lake Hooker, a beautiful reflection lake made up of melt water from Hooker Glacier located a short distance from the Mount Cook Village. A similar impressive view of Mount Cook can be found at Lake Matheson, another famous reflection lake near the Fox Glacier Village on the west side of the range. There is a very good Visitor Centre in the Mount Cook Village with quality displays and historic accounts of mountaineering and general exploration of Mount Cook and fellow peaks in the area. You can also learn quite a bit about hiking and other activities related to visits to Mount Cook on the DOC National Park website. This is well worth spending some time researching before making trips to the area.
3. Mueller Hut Route
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 56 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip. See website for the price of accommodation on this track.
Reviewed By Roadtrip_Fan_UK - Hong Kong, China
It's the scenery that will keep everyone going. The ascent is super steep but the views are truly breathtaking. I continued on to Mount Ollivier and got rewarded with a 360° panorama that was well worth the extra effort.
4. Kea Point Track
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 192 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By NatalieA2138 - Rotorua, New Zealand
Spur of the moment decided to walk this track even though it was drizzling. It didn't matter the weather as the track is good and mostly well maintained, apart from a few loose boards on the boardwalk. It is an easy, short walk although as I started my walk from the Hermitage Hotel, it added 3km onto the walk. A must do walk for anyone visiting the Mt Cook area.
5. Aoraki Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 684 reviews
6. Sealy Tarns Track
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 75 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By deborahk879 - Caboolture, Australia
Very steep walk incorporating more than 2000 rugged stairs. Sturdy, narrow track with many switchbacks and no guardrails. Track begins at White Horse Hill Campground just outside Mt Cook village but you can walk from the village itself. Allow 3-4 hours (add an extra hour if walking from the village) to have plenty of rest stops and take in the stunning views of MT Cook, Mueller Lake, Hooker Valley trail, bridges and river, surrounding mountains and down the valley towards Lake Pukaki. There's a picnic table at the tarns but no facilities. Walking poles are a good idea to save the knees, especially on the descent. Can continue up from the tarns to the Mueller Hut, or branch off down low to detour to Kea Point.
7. Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier walks
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 267 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By Jules060617 - Lausanne, Switzerland
This is not a long walk (allow 60 minutes plus drive) but it is straight up a hill with many well laid out steps so expect to huff and puff going up. The view at the top overlooking Abel Tasman's glacier lake and it's iceberg with a backcloth that includes a different face of Mount Cook is worth the effort. Be careful if you are wearing a hat as one sailed off someone's head while I was taking pictures and fell inaccessibly to the moraine below. If you don't want to walk, at least drive part of the way for the views.
8. Red Tarns Track
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 44 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By joee957 - Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
I worked in Mt Cook National Park for 4 months and there are lots of hiking trails but this is one which many people including myself did once a week to keep fit. The track starts in the National Park village taking a bridge over a river and then is non stop stairs to the top passing bushes and trees and then rocky terrain as you get close to the top. It takes around 20-30minutes. On a clear day it’s perfect for sunrise and sunset with a clear view of Mt Cook along with other mountains in the southern alps like Mt Sefton and Mt Wakefield. If you’re up for a further challenge when you’re at the red tarns, you can see a big rock a couple of hundred feet above you and you can follow the small stream and bushes up to it which will give you an even better view. After work I would sometimes go to the big rock and watch sunset.
9. Governors Bush Walk
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 65 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By tematabay
The walk is quite easy for anyone. A bit of uphill at the start. Sound of the river and birds was awesome. Particularly like that the bush was very different from our North Island experience. We went in snowy winter, but the track was mostly free of snow due to the bush cover.
