Mount Cook is well known for being the highest mountain in New Zealand. So obviously it gets a lot of visitors from around the world. The mountain is located in the Southern Alps in South Island. Even in winter, tourists come to see the mountain. Mount Cook is located in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park and Aoraki is the local name of Mount Cook. While visiting New Zealand, I spent a couple of days at Mount Cook.
Mount Cook: 9 Things You Can do for a 2 Day Trip
Day 1
On the first day, I went to the Hooker Valley Track. There were so many nice walking tracks in the Mount Cook National Park that there was no way anyone could do all of them. I just wanted to go for a few short hikes. The Hooker Valley Track went through the bottom of Hooker Valley to Hooker Lake.
There were maps at the beginning of the track so that hikers would know exactly where to go. The map also showed villages or lookout points along the track. I took a picture of the map to be safe.
The track was quite easy to follow and there were other tourists going the same way. Footbridges crossed the frozen rivers and I was glad that I had worn warm clothes. There was snow and ice on the ground and the grass was brown.
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There was one place where the trees had almost formed a tunnel above the road. It was so pretty! It was the perfect place to take a few photos of the walking track.
I continued walking and was absolutely stunned by the views. Snowcapped mountains rose in front of my eyes and towered over the surrounding hills and forests. The sky was pretty cloudy so the photos weren’t the best. But it was one of the most beautiful sights that I had ever seen.
At one point, I came to a place where rough stone steps had been formed. It looked like it was out of some movie. I knew that a lot of movies were filmed in New Zealand. And the country was so beautiful that I understood why.
Then I found a tall memorial for the people who had died in Mount Cook National Park. It was made of stone and it formed a tall, steep triangle at the top. There was a plaque with the names of some people who had died. It had been erected by their friends.
I carefully walked over the ice and snow. I had to make sure that I wouldn’t slip. I had worn good shoes for this hike. As I walked, I could see more and more snowcapped mountains in the distance.
Finally, I reached the lake. I looked down at it from above. The water was pale green and it was surrounded by mountains.
There was a bridge where only twenty people could walk across at a time.
The footbridge was made of wood and steel and it was suspended over a gorge. I carefully walked across the bridge.
2. Lunch at Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre Café & Bar
I decided to have lunch at the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre Café and Bar. I went up the stairs to the café.
There were so many bakery items in the case. I looked at all the available items, like sausage rolls and mince and cheese pies.
The best thing about the café was the lovely view. They had big glass windows that had an amazing view of the mountains in front. And there were comfortable sofas where customers could sit and enjoy their meals and their drinks.
I ordered some fish and chips. The café even provided an extra cup of perfectly salted fries. The dish was served with a lemon wedge and some salad on the side.
3. Tasman Glacier Helicopter Ride
After lunch, it was time for me to go for my helicopter ride to the Tasman Glacier. The Tasman Glacier was one of the large glaciers which flowed into the Mackenzie Basin. It was the longest glacier in New Zealand and I had heard that the helicopter ride was beautiful.
There was a waiting area inside with some chairs and sofas. There were quite a few people who also wanted to take a helicopter ride.
Finally, it was time for me to climb onto the helicopter. The sky was so blue with soft white clouds. I knew that this trip would be absolutely worth it!
They gave me noise cancelling headphones to put over my ears. The helicopter was really loud so I was glad for the headphones.
I looked out of the window and I could see the glacier underneath. It looked like a white sheet of snow was lying there.
The sky was bright blue and the snowcapped mountains were peeping out of the white clouds. It was a wonderful experience seeing the mountains from above.
And then it was time for the helicopter to land. I saw that it was going to land on the snow. The snow was lying thick on the ground and it looked like fine powder.
The helicopter landed smoothly.
All the visitors got off the helicopter and we played around in the snow. People were taking pictures and making snowballs.
4. Driving along Road 80 for the scene view
Once I had finished my helicopter ride, it was time for me to drive along Road 80. I drove along rivers and lakes on one side. There were some grass and bushes growing on the other side of the road. But it was too cold for too many trees to grow.
It was starting to get darker. As we drove along, the mountains rose up out of the distance.
The road was pretty empty. There were only a few cars driving back and forth.
At some points, I just had to stop the car to take some pictures.
It was one of the most scenic places that I had ever seen in my life. I was very happy that I had decided to take this drive.
5. Buffet Dinner at the Alpine Restaurant in Hermitage Hotel
I wanted to end the day with a nice dinner. I went to the famous Hermitage Hotel to have a buffet dinner at Alpine Restaurant. The Hermitage Hotel had been running since 1884. But the buildings that housed the hotel now had been built much later.
There were a lot of tourists in the restaurant.
There was a large spread for dinner.
There were different kinds of salads and I could even prepare a salad of my own choice.
There were even a lot of vegetarian options. It was a good dinner and I really enjoyed myself. I was ready to go to bed and wake up early for the next day.
Day 2
6. Walking to the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint & Blue Lake
On my second day in Mount Cook National Park, I decided to walk to the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint and to Blue Lake.
I had heard that it was quite an easy trek and I started walking in the morning.
It was another sunny day with blue skies. I could see forests all around me and there was a clear track that I could follow.
There were even some steps on the road so that hikers would not slip. It made the hike easy and convenient, even for inexperienced hikers.
I slowly climbed up the stairs on my way to the glacier.
There were signboards that showed me which direction I should go and which gave me a lot of information about the Tasman Glacier.
When I reached Blue Lake, I was awestruck by the view! The water was so clear.
I liked how there were information boards about all these landmarks.
I walked down to the edge of the lake. There were rocks and boulders everywhere so I had to be careful.
The water was really cold.
I picked up a shard of ice that was floating on the surface of the water.
7. Walking to the Tasman River
After that, the next thing on my list was a walk to the Tasman River. The trail was easy to follow.
A path had been cleared among all the rocks and boulders. I knew that tourists often completed this short trek all by themselves. It was a simple hike.
The Tasman River was pale green in color and there were huge chunks of ice floating on the surface. I looked down on the river from above, admiring the color.
The sun was shining down on it and the water glittered. There were a few other tourists who were also hiking down the same path as me.
In the center of the river was an island of ice and rocks. It was big enough that a few people would be able to fit on top of it. Clearly, bits of the glacier had broken away and floated along with the Tasman River.
I started following the river as it became stronger and faster. The water started to look less green and more blue. I took some pictures and then it was time for me to return.
8. Mt Cook Alpine Salmon Shop at Lake Pukaki
Depending on which road you were driving down, visitors could stop at Mt Cook Alpine Salmon Shop on the way from Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook National Park. There was even a Visitor Centre which told me a lot about the history and culture of the local people. I was glad that I had made the stop while driving to Mount Cook.
The shop was on the shore of Lake Pukaki. Lake Pukaki was the largest of the three alpine lakes in that area and it had excellent views of Mount Cook National Park.
There was a lookout point at the Visitor Centre. I sat on a bench there and looked out at the shining lake. It felt so calm and peaceful and I was pleased that I had stopped there for an hour.
I bought a box of salmon sashimi. It was fresh and one of the specialties of the shop.
On the way from Mount Cook to Oamaru or Queenstown, the best place to stop was High Country Salmon in Twizel.
Logans Floating Café and Restaurant was part of the boutique salmon farm. And they served the fresh salmon fish that were farmed at High Country Salmon. The little restaurant looked like a log cabin and it was located right on the banks of Lake Ruataniwha, just 3km away from the town of Twizel.
I sat outside while enjoying my tea and salmon sashimi.
The salmon was really fresh and tasty. It was just as good as the salmon at Mount Cook Alpine Salmon Shop.
Since I was quite hungry, I also ordered some different kinds of sushi. The sushi was served quickly and it came with various kinds of sauce. It was just what I needed after my long morning hikes to the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint and the Tasman River. My trip to Mount Cook National Park had been very successful.
