Aoraki Mount Cook: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
This is the walk everyone comes for, and for good reason: a flat path up a glacier valley to a lake with icebergs and Aoraki standing above it. Along the way are the monuments to the climbers who made the mountain famous, and those who died on it. The track is about 10 km return and takes three hours. Start early, before the wind and the crowds, and turn back if the weather turns.
A short history of Aoraki Mount Cook
Aoraki, at 3,724 metres, is the highest mountain in New Zealand, and to the Ngāi Tahu tribe it is a sacred ancestor. In 1851 Captain John Lort Stokes gave it the name Mount Cook, after James Cook. The first ascent to the summit was completed on Christmas Day 1894 by three New Zealand climbers. In 1953 the area was declared a national park, and Edmund Hillary trained on the mountain before Everest. In 1991 a huge rock avalanche fell from the summit, and the mountain lost about ten metres of height. The small village at its foot is home to the Hermitage hotel, the first version of which opened in 1884.
The ten best sights in Aoraki Mount Cook
1Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine CentreFilms on Hillary and the mountain, plus a planetarium, inside the Hermitage
2Sir Edmund Hillary statueHillary in bronze, looking up at Aoraki from the Hermitage lawn
-
3Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre
Check the weather and track conditions here before any walk
4Alpine MemorialA stone cairn for the climbers who never came back, on the Hooker track
-
5Freda's Rock
Where the first woman to climb Aoraki was photographed after her ascent
6Church of the Good ShepherdSmall stone church on Lake Tekapo, an hour away; arrive early
-
7Hooker Valley Track
Three swing bridges to an iceberg lake; about 3 hours return, flat
8Hooker LakeThe end of the track, with Aoraki straight ahead on a clear day
-
9Kea Point
An easy hour to a view of Mount Sefton and the Mueller Glacier
10Sealy TarnsSteep steps to small tarns and a huge view; 3-4 hours return
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Aoraki Mount Cook →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Aoraki Mount Cook:
Free walking tours in Aoraki Mount Cook
The Hooker Valley
This is the walk everyone comes for, and for good reason: a flat path up a glacier valley to a lake with icebergs and Aoraki standing above it. Along the way are the monuments to the climbers who made the mountain famous, and those who died on it. The track is about 10 km return and takes three hours. Start early, before the wind and the crowds, and turn back if the weather turns.
- Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre · In 1998, under the Ngāi Tahu settlement, the mountain's official name became Aoraki / Mount Cook, with the Māori name first. The centre explains why the peak is sacred to Ngāi Tahu.
- Alpine Memorial · The cairn was first raised for climbers killed by an avalanche in 1914. It now carries the names of many more who died in the park, a sobering stop before the mountain view.
- Freda's Rock · In December 1910 the Australian climber Freda du Faur became the first woman to reach the summit of Aoraki. She was photographed by this rock on her way back, and the picture made her famous.
- Mueller Lake Lookout · The lake below formed as the Mueller Glacier melted back, and it is grey with rock flour ground by the ice. Listen for avalanches cracking off Mount Sefton across the valley.
- Hooker Valley Track · The track crosses the Hooker River on three swing bridges, each one opening a new view up the valley. Boardwalks carry it over the tussock in the upper part, to protect the alpine plants.
- Hooker Lake · Aoraki rises to 3,724 metres at the head of the valley, the highest point in New Zealand. It was first climbed on Christmas Day 1894 by three New Zealanders, Tom Fyfe, Jack Clarke and George Graham.
The Tasman valley
The Tasman Glacier is New Zealand's longest, and the valley it carved runs parallel to the Hooker, just east of the village. The glacier has retreated fast, and a lake full of icebergs has grown where the ice used to be. This route follows the gravel road up the valley to the viewpoints. Half a day, with short steep walks over the moraine.
- Mount Cook Airport · Ski-equipped planes take off here and land high on the Tasman Glacier, a practice that began in the 1950s. On a clear morning you can watch them leave from the road.
- Blue Lakes · The Blue Lakes were once fed by the glacier and coloured by its meltwater. Now they are fed by rain, and they have turned green with algae, while the glacier has pulled far back.
- Tasman Glacier and Lake Viewpoint · Until the 1970s there was no lake here; meltwater pools began to join on the glacier surface and became Tasman Lake. It has grown to several kilometres long and keeps growing as the glacier retreats.
- Tasman Lake · Icebergs break off the glacier face into the lake and drift for months. Guided boats go out among them in summer, and the guides explain how much of each berg is hidden under the water.
- Ball Hut · Ball Hut once stood near the glacier surface and served skiers and climbers. As the ice thinned, the glacier surface dropped far below the hut, and parts of the old road along the moraine have collapsed.
- Haupapa / Tasman Glacier · The glacier is about 23 km long, the longest in New Zealand, and in places the ice is hundreds of metres thick. Its lower part is covered in rock debris, which is why it looks grey rather than white.
Village, stars and the lake road
Mount Cook village is tiny: a hotel, a few lodges, the visitor centre and a scatter of houses for park staff. It still makes a good half day on foot, with short walks right out of the door. At night the sky is the attraction, because this is part of an international dark-sky reserve. Finish on the road south along Lake Pukaki, where the classic view of the mountain waits.
- The Hermitage · The first Hermitage opened in 1884 closer to the Mueller Glacier, and floods later forced a move to this site. For more than a century it has been the base for climbers and visitors to the mountain.
- Sir Edmund Hillary statue · Before Everest, Edmund Hillary learned his craft in these mountains, and in 1948 he was in the party that made the first ascent of Aoraki's South Ridge. The statue shows him looking up at the peak.
- Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre · The centre's planetarium shows the southern sky that sits above the building. In 2012 the Mackenzie basin and this park were declared the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
- Kea Point · The kea is the world's only alpine parrot, olive green with orange under its wings, and it is clever and bold. Never feed one: human food harms them, and they will happily take apart a car's rubber seals.
- Red Tarns · The tarns take their colour from a red pondweed that grows in the shallow water. From the top the whole village and the Hooker Valley lie below you.
- Peter's Lookout · Lake Pukaki gets its milky turquoise from glacial flour, rock ground so fine by the ice that it stays suspended in the water. From here the lake leads the eye straight up the valley to Aoraki.
Getting to Aoraki Mount Cook and getting around
- Mount Cook Airport · Scenic flights and ski-plane landings on the glacier; no scheduled airline
- Glentanner Aerodrome · Helicopter and plane flights over the peaks, 20 km down the lake road
Cheap eats in Aoraki Mount Cook
There is no supermarket in the village, so buy food in Twizel or Tekapo on the way in. What there is sits in the Hermitage and a couple of lodges: café food at mountain prices. The best cheap meal of the trip is on the road, at the salmon shop on Lake Pukaki. Water from the taps is fine, so fill bottles before the walks.
- The Sir Edmund Hillary Cafe · Coffee, pies and sandwiches in the Hermitage, about NZ$6-18
- The Old Mountaineer's Cafe · Burgers and soup with a mountain view, about NZ$18-30
- Chamois Bar & Grill · Pizza and pub food, about NZ$20-30
- Mt Cook Alpine Salmon · Sashimi to go at the Pukaki shop, a pot about NZ$15-25
Museums in Aoraki Mount Cook
- Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre · Films, a planetarium and Hillary memorabilia
- National Park Visitor Centre · Free displays on geology, birds and climbing history
- Alpine Memorial · Climbers remembered, on the Hooker track
- Freda's Rock · The first woman on Aoraki, 1910
- Church of the Good Shepherd · Stone church built in 1935 on Lake Tekapo
Nature and day trips near Aoraki Mount Cook
- Hooker Lake · Icebergs and Aoraki at the end of the valley
- Tasman Lake · The lake that grew from a glacier in fifty years
- Sealy Tarns · Around 2,200 steps up for the best view in the valley
- Mueller Hut · A night on the ridge at about 1,800 metres; serious walk
- Kea Point · Easy viewpoint over the Mueller Glacier
- Lake Pukaki · Turquoise glacial lake on the road in
Things to do in Aoraki Mount Cook with kids
- Kea Point · Easy and flat enough for small legs
- Governors Bush · Short forest loop by the village
- Blue Lakes · Short walk to green-blue lakes in the Tasman valley
- Hooker Valley swing bridges · Swing bridges that bounce as you cross
- Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre planetarium · A sky show for a cloudy night
Where to eat in Aoraki Mount Cook
- The Panorama Room · Fine dining in the Hermitage with the mountain in the window; book
- The Alpine Restaurant · Buffet dinner in the Hermitage
- The Old Mountaineer's Cafe · Casual dinner, local beer and wine
- Chamois Bar & Grill · The village pub, for pizza and a beer
Frequently asked questions about Aoraki Mount Cook
What is there to see in Aoraki Mount Cook?
The top sights in Aoraki Mount Cook are Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, Sir Edmund Hillary statue and Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Aoraki Mount Cook?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Aoraki Mount Cook without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Aoraki Mount Cook?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Aoraki Mount Cook, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Hooker Valley.
How do you get to Aoraki Mount Cook and get around?
The main ways are Mount Cook Airport and Glentanner Aerodrome. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Aoraki Mount Cook, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Aoraki Mount Cook that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Aoraki Mount Cook for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.