Visiting Aotearoa New Zealand’s iconic Aoraki/Mount Cook and hiking the Hooker Valley Track is a must on every visitor’s itinerary. But did you know there’s so much more to explore in the area? If you have extra time in your itinerary, I highly recommend tacking on one or more of these nearby tracks to really make the most of your time in the Mount Cook/Aoraki area! From quick 30 minute tramps to full-day mountaineering adventures, these mountains have something for everyone.
Kea Point Track/Lookout
An easy and worthwhile addition to your stop at Aoraki! Kea Point Lookout leaves from the opposite end of the car park/campground as Hooker Valley Track and winds you along the base of the mountains to reach a quaint viewpoint that looks across Hooker Valley to Mount Cook. The full Kea Point Track connects Mount Cook Village to these main trailheads (about 2 hours return). If you are staying in the village, this is a great way to extend your time in nature and enjoy another beautiful stroll on your way to more trailheads. For those that don’t need to walk from the village, you can just hike the second half from the carpark to the Kea Point viewpoint (1 hour return).
Especially if you’re staying at the White Horse Hill campsite, I would recommend timing your visit to Kea Point with sunset or sunrise. Bring your flashlight! You see a direct view of Mount Cook’s peak without having to climb up a mountainside, so this viewpoint is a much more accessible way to see the peaks lit up pink and orange from golden hour.
Sealy Tarns Track and Mueller Hut
For more dedicated and advanced hikers, you’ll hear these names being passed around hostels and pubs as a badge of honor. Sealy Tarns Track brings you half way up the side of the Sealy Range that faces Mount Cook. Here, there are tarns (small, shallow mountain lakes) that provide absolutely stunning views of Mount Cook. To get there? You only have to climb thousands of steps, hence the DOC nickname ‘Stairway to Heaven’. The track is marked easy, and while that is true in a technical sense, it is almost entirely steps.
If you decide to continue on, you will make it to the top of the Sealy Mountain Range and reach Mueller Hut. This is an active hut, meaning you can stay the night on the mountain top (providing you follow the DOC booking and reservation guidelines). This is one of the best ways to see the sunrise on Aoraki – but also one of the coldest and most difficult to get to. While the track up to Sealy Tarns is ‘easy’, the additional track up to the hut is advanced. If you’re not here for overnight alpine hut stays, you can do the full return hike in one day – but you should give yourself at least 8 hours to do so.
You can easily complete the Sealy Tarns half of the track without continuing on to Mueller Hut. And this is what I would recommend if you aren’t an advanced hiker and don’t have the right alpine hiking equipment to make it a safe hike. Though I wasn’t able to do it during my camping stays, I recommend beginning the Sealy Tarns Track before dawn to make it to the tarns in time to see the sunrise on Mount Cook. This remains one of my bucket list travel items!
Tasman Glacier View Track
A short drive away from Mount Cook/Aoraki village awaits another viewpoint of Mount Cook and a new glacier. The Tasman Glacier View Track provides just what the name suggests: views of the Haupapa/Tasman Glacier. This glacial valley sits on the other side of the Mount Cook range as Hooker Valley so it almost feels like you’re seeing a mirrored image.
The Tasman Glacier View Track is fairly short, estimated to take about 30 minutes return. It does climb a hill with steps along the way, so it’s not accessible to those who can’t do steep inclines or stairs. Once you get to the top, there’s a viewing area that overlooks Tasman Lake and Haupapa Glacier, with the Mount Cook range on one side and the Burnett Mountains (including the Nuns Veil) on the other.
You can also divert from the main track and follow a smaller trail to see the Blue Lakes, once a popular vacation destination for early settlers. The waters are a unique color, often green, because of their water source and rain water collection. The tracks around here are less traveled so they keep a little more of their wild nature for current visitors.
I haven’t taken it, but there is also the nearby Tasman Lake and River Track from the same car park that takes you down to the shore of the lake. This is a longer track, estimated 50 minute return, but doesn’t have the same incline as the Glacier View track.
From Aoraki/Mount Cook Village
Most people coming to Aoraki/Mount Cook for the day never even visit the village tucked into the valley’s edge – myself included. It’s easy to avoid because the road to the White Horse Campground and Hooker Valley trailhead doesn’t go through the village. If you’re staying in the village or want some easy and lesser known trails in the area, don’t overlook these tracks!
Governors/Bowen Bush Walks
These easy bush walks combine to make a great nature trail to get up close and personal with these alpine wonders. The Bowen Bush Walk is a short ten minute loop that can easily be added to the longer Governors Bush Walk for a complete nature trail experience. Together, they make a little over an hour return, just under 1.5km loop.
These trails are more protected than Hooker Valley as they are surrounded by trees and other foliage. This will protect you if bad weather or a strong sun strikes! Governors Bush Walk gradually climbs up the mountainside and ends at a view point of the surrounding mountains. This is a great option for those looking for a slower pace, maybe some bird watching, and protection from the elements.
Red Tarns Track
Also leaving from Aoraki Mount Cook village is the Red Tarns Track, named after the red pond weed that grows around the tarns. Longer than the nearby bush walks, this track is a 4km out and back trail, about a 2 hour return. The DOC website marks this as an easy to intermediate trail, because it is steep and mainly steps. Photos also show that the trail can be pretty rocky in some places. So while Red Tarns Track is not technically difficult, bring sturdy shoes and some knee support!
With the additional ascent, Red Tarns Track showcases vegetation changes from higher altitudes. This can give a peak into the nature found in the more difficult Sealy Tarns/Mueller Hut tracks without too much additional difficulty.
The track’s end point provides panoramic views into the valley below and of the surrounding peaks. Just another reason Red Tarns Track is a great option for hikers who want a taste of what Sealy Tarns can give without the commitment!
With so much to see and do in the South Island, it’s understandable why so many people take only a half day to complete the Hooker Valley Track. I hope this post has inspired you to extend your time in the Southern Alps and explore this alpine haven. Now that you’ve seen just how much there is to do in Aoraki/Mount Cook, I hope you can add the perfect trails for you to your New Zealand itinerary!
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