It’s not often (er, maybe ever?) that I write a full-blown love letter to a destination…so when I do, you know I’m going to have a lot to say.
That’s certainly the case when it comes to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand; this is my third blog post dedicated to this epic, larger-than-life destination, and I could still go on and on about it.
Mount Cook Travel Guide Overview
- Road Trip to Mount Cook from Queenstown
- Things to Do in Mount Cook National Park
- Where to Eat in Mount Cook National Park
- Where to Stay in Mount Cook National Park
Road Trip: Driving to Mount Cook from Queenstown
After spending four absolutely lovely nights in Queenstown, it was finally time to the hit the road and head onwards to our next destination: Mount Cook National Park.
After checking out of our Airbnb, we drove just one hour up the road to Wanaka, where we grabbed some coffee and breakfast and checked a few items off our bucket list (including #ThatWanakaTree).
From there, it was a 2.5-hour journey by car to Mount Cook Village—one of the destinations I had been most looking forward to. We stopped just twice more along the way: once at Lindis Pass Lookout, and again at Peter’s Lookout near Lake Pukaki.
Lindis Pass actually reminded me a bit of California! The landscape was incredibly brown, and the hills were quite low and rolling. It’s a good place to stretch your legs and take a break from driving, but our stop here was short, as there’s not too much to see.
Peter’s Lookout, however, is amazing.
I could hardly believe my own eyes when I saw the color of Lake Pukaki, the largest of the alpine lakes running along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin. The turquoise water is so bright and so saturated, it’s almost electric-looking.
Apparently, the neon blue color of Lake Pukaki and other glacier-fed lakes can be chalked up to “glacier flour.” These finely-ground rock particles are created by glacial erosion, and can cause bodies of water to have a milky turquoise appearance.
The views of the lake from Peter’s Lookout are beyond incredible, but don’t be afraid to venture out of the lookout area. There’s a gravel path that leads all the way to the shores of the lake, so you can actually see that amazing color up-close.
From here, it’s only around 35 minutes more to Mount Cook Village—and the views get a whole lot more epic with each passing mile.
We pulled over on more than one occasion to admire a particularly scenic view or snap some photos, but I want to stress how important it is to use the designated turnouts.
The road to Mount Cook is winding, narrow and treacherous in certain areas. Plus, those of us who are used to driving on the right side of the road have the added challenge of remembering to keep left.
Pulling off the road anywhere other than a designated turnout can be incredibly dangerous! And when you do pull over, make sure your vehicle is fully off the road.
There are also a few one-lane bridges you’ll need to cross on your way into Mount Cook Village, so use extra caution at these points.
Things to Do in Mount Cook National Park
Hiking
Aoraki/Mount Cook is a nature-lover’s paradise. Hiking is by far one of the most popular activities in the park, and there are trails for every level of fitness.
Hiking the Hooker Valley Track was one of our personal highlights—not just in Mount Cook National Park, but in New Zealand as a whole. This 3.5-hour trek leads through the dramatic Southern Alps, across swaying suspension bridges and over wooden boardwalks, and ends at an iceberg-speckled glacial lake.
It’s also almost entirely flat, making it one of the easiest and most leisurely hikes we’ve ever completed. As for the views? There are no words that can do them justice.
The Hooker Valley is one of the most stunning, epic destinations I’ve ever laid eyes upon, hands down.
We completed the Hooker Valley Track early in the morning during our second day in the park; we were on the trail by 7:00am, and wrapped up our hike before 10:30am.
Later that afternoon, we also completed the Tasman Glacier View Walk. Although the trail is quite steep, this “hike” only takes about 15 minutes each way.
The views really don’t come close to rivaling the ones you’ll see on the Hooker Valley Track, but considering how quick and easy this hike is, it’s a nice one to include on your itinerary.
Other popular hikes in Mount Cook include:
- Sealy Tarns Track (3 hours; strenuous)
- Mueller Hut (4 hours; strenuous)
- Kea Point Trail (1 hour; easy)
- Red Tarns Track (1.5 hours; easy)
- Governors Bush Walk (2.5 hours; moderate)
Explore Mount Cook Village
Mount Cook Village sits in the shadow of the national park’s highest peak—Aoraki/Mount Cook—and is completely immersed in the surrounding natural beauty. Only around 250 people live in the village year-round, many of whom support the park’s tourism infrastructure.
There are a smattering of facilities in Mount Cook Village: a hostel, a few motels and chalets, a luxury hotel, a handful of restaurants, a gas station, and a convenience store. Although it’s quite small, we thought Mount Cook Village was a nice place to drive or walk around when we had some downtime between hikes.
The village is also home to the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. But this impressive facility is more than just your average visitor’s center and gift shop; it’s also a tribute one of the world’s greatest mountaineers and the indigenous people of Aoraki/Mount Cook, and features a museum, planetarium, and 3D theater.
Considering that it’s the sole attraction in Mount Cook Village, it’s worth stopping by the Alpine Center for a quick look around. We found the museum to be pretty interesting, and also picked up a vintage travel poster from the gift shop that is now hanging in our kitchen.
Adventure Activities in Mount Cook
We kept ourselves plenty busy with the above activities, and also enjoyed having a bit of quiet time to read and watch movies at our hostel in Mount Cook Village. (Watching The Lord of the Rings for the millionth time is so much better with views of Mount Cook in the distance!)
That said, if you’re looking for a more action-packed visit to Mount Cook National Park, consider some of these other activities:
- Boat tour of Tasman Lake
- Helicopter tour with a Tasman Glacier landing (or even hiking!)
- Scenic flight (our flight over Milford Sound was an experience I’ll never forget)
- Mountain climbing
Where to Eat in Mount Cook National Park
Dining options in Mount Cook Village are incredibly limited.
We ended up eating dinner at The Alpine Restaurants at The Hermitage Hotel during both nights we spent in Mount Cook. This restaurant is 100% buffet style, and quite pricey at 69.50 NZD ($42 USD) per person.
That said, the views are absolutely stunning, and the food was actually really good! I say this as someone who never eats at buffets. The Panorama Room is the hotel’s full-service restaurant, and is only open for dinner. We didn’t try it, but it has very good reviews.
After hiking the Hooker Valley Track, we had an amazing brunch at Old Mountaineers’ Cafe. Derek and I both ordered the mountaineer’s breakfast, which ended up being a heaping pile of sausage, bacon, eggs, toast, hash browns, mushrooms, and tomato. The coffee was good too!
The last dining option in Mount Cook Village is Chamois Bar & Grill at Mount Cook Lodge, which we did not try. If none of these options appeal to you, consider bringing your own food for cooking.
Where to Stay in Mount Cook National Park
If possible, I highly recommend staying in Mount Cook Village to help you make the most of your time in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.
Outside of the park, the closest town is Twizel, which is just under one hour away. Lake Tekapo is another option, around one hour and fifteen minutes from the village.
We stayed in a private room at YHA Mt Cook, and I can’t say enough good things about it. The facilities were very clean, and the location was absolutely perfect (as is true of every accommodation option in the village). There’s even a sauna! Have you ever stayed at a hostel with a sauna before?!
One of my favorite memories from our time in Mount Cook was curling up on this little bed next to the window with Derek, watching The Lord of the Rings on our laptop, and drinking wine straight from the bottle while the sun set over the mountains and the night stars came out. So peaceful and cozy!
Our second-choice location would have been Mount Cook Lodge and Motel. If you’re looking for the nicest place to stay in Mount Cook Village and are willing to splurge, there’s no beating the Hermitage Hotel Mt Cook. It’s a gorgeous hotel!
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Is Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park on your New Zealand bucket list? Which hikes or activities would you be most excited to try? What questions do you still have about planning a trip to Mount Cook?
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Appreciating the time and effort you put into your website and in-depth information you offer. Awesome places to explore and stunning pictures. I would like to suggest it to my friends so that we can plan a trip for hiking and take a time for ourselves in this busy schedule. Keep posting such wonderful places. Thanks for sharing!
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