Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
This place is just WOW. One of the most spectacular places we have ever been. From the drive in, to the views from everywhere, the hotel and the hikes are amazing.
New Zealand’s highest mountain (3,724 m / 12,218 ft) sits in the heart of the Southern Alps and is the centerpiece of Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park. It’s one of the most dramatic alpine landscapes in the country — glaciers, turquoise lakes, and easy-access hikes with huge views.
Some of the hikes we did : Hooker Valley Track, Tasman Glacier, Kea Point, Red Tarns……This is a long post and there are 6 videos at the end.
The Hooker Valley track is the number 1 must in the park and it did not disappoint. However, of the 3 bridges, we could only hike up to the 2nd due to repairs. Still spectacular. The Kea Point track is another hike next to the Hooker Valley and that was equally impressive. We then hiked over to the blue pools.
The Hermitage Hotel is a must. We had some great meals there and the place is very nice.
Our glacier boat ride was cancelled due to the high winds, so we hiked it instead, which was great. We started with a 30 minute hike to the boats, but with the crazy wind, the boat ride was cancelled.
After that we hiked to the glacier viewpoint to see where the boat would have gone.
We spent 2 full days here and loved it.
The Red Tarns hike was a lot of steps and difficult, sunny, but wonderful. Well worth it at the top.
We also went out star gazing.
