New Zealand | Hiking at Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook

Rondom Lake Tekapo (Location here) On Lake Pukaki, or actually close to Mount cook (Location here), you can do anything. Especially hiking in this area is very beautiful and highly recommended. There are walks for all levels. Some of them I have done myself and so I will only discuss those walks in detail.

How do you get there?

Via the New Zealand State Highway 8 you can visit both lakes. You can arrive from the east, which will probably take you roughly from Christchurch, but it is also possible to reach them from the southwest.

What does it cost?

Ideal, all hikes around Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook can be done for free. So there are no payments to the National Parks. When you come with your own car, there are no parking costs to pay at the start of the walks. If you want to undertake other activities, there are of course costs involved. For example, do you want the Tekapo Springs visit, you have to pay an entrance fee for this.

Different hikes

There are many hikes around Mount Cook, near Lake Pukaki and you can also make a nice hike at Lake Tekapo. I have walked some of them myself and will therefore explain them below.

Mt. John Summit Circuit Track

For this hike you have two choices in terms of direction. It is basically a circle and therefore you can walk it clockwise or counterclockwise. We walked this hike clockwise and that is also recommended. You start at the end of the village, at the foot of Lake Tekapo and immediately start with a significant rise. Although it may be hot, this is doable, because you are constantly walking in the shade. You are now walking through the forest.

At a certain point the forest turns into an open field and then you are almost at the highest point of this walk. As you approach the highest point, you will see the vast views all around you. All in all it's really fantastic. Upstairs you will find several buildings where experts observe stars. There is also a small café where you can eat and drink. After enjoying the views, walk towards Lake Tekapo and then walk along the lake all the way back to your vehicle.

Incidentally, you can also choose to walk back the same way, but since the route along Lake Tekapo is very beautiful, I would definitely recommend sticking to the loop.

Hooker Valley Track

the hike Hooker Valley is a hike for all levels. We also saw several children and older people walking, so it is really doable. It is a walk where you do go up and down, but mainly it is a flat path. In total it is a 10 kilometer walk, but it is therefore 5 kilometers one way. You walk the same route there as back. It can be very busy on this route, so it pays off to complete this hike early or late in the day.

There are three suspension bridges that you cross and on the way you see all the most beautiful pictures around you. With a bit of luck you will also see Mount Cook the entire route, because you can see it (if the clouds are not around it) the entire route. On the way back you walk with your back to Mount Cook, but you see the beautiful views towards Lake Pukaki and that is also very beautiful.

Tasman Glacier Track

De Tasman Glacier Trek can easily be combined with the Hooker Valley Track and when we were there it was quiet. Incidentally, it was only a short hike. You can actually walk two different routes towards the Tasman Glacier. The route to the right is a route that you walk up and down and the route to the left is a circle, where you also pass the three Blue Lakes (which are green) is running.

Tip: You can combine these routes and therefore walk one big round. Then start with the route to the right, which basically has the same way back. When you have enjoyed the viewpoint there, you will see a higher top on the left and that is the other viewpoint. You can easily get to that side via the rocks in between. There is a reasonable path, so find the beginning of it and you can get to the other viewpoint almost without really scrambling.

Mueller Hut Track

De Mueller Hut Track is a fairly tough hike. It is seen as a day hike, but that is mainly because of the intensity. The duration of the hike is ultimately not too bad. It is a total of 9 kilometers, but especially the ascent is important. You go 1.100 meters in height. You walk the same route there as back, but because of the steep path you are not necessarily faster down than you went up. In any case, the time difference was not very big with us. Count on about 3 hours there and 2,5 hours walking back.

You start with a piece of easy path from the parking lot. Then the many steps start. There are really many and there seems to be no end to it. Eventually, these stairs will of course come to an end, but even after that you will still make a lot of altimeters on the stones. Towards the end you even need your hands and there is a bit of scrambling. When you get over a kind of ridge, you have to go over the rocks to the left to get to the hut.

Of course you can also sleep in the hut and that is undoubtedly super cool, because waking up at that height between the rocks with a view of Mount Cook is of course great. However, we did not opt ​​for it and made a day hike and, after having something to eat in the hut, we walked back. If you do want to spend the night here and perhaps also want to walk further, because yes you can, make sure you book the cabin on time. This one fills up quickly!

What else you can do?

There are so many more things to do around these beautiful locations. That's how you can go Tekapo Springs, helicopter rides over Mount Cook and skydiving. I didn't do all three of these activities, but if you don't want to walk alone, that's a nice change. There are also a number of shorter hikes, including, for example, a hike towards the viewpoint Sealy Tarns Viewpoint. The route here is the same as the first part of the Mueller Hut.

Where to stay?

At Lake Tekapo you have several campsites, which are within walking distance of the lake. A beautiful place to spend the night. In addition, there is a campground at the base of the Hooker Valley Track and the Mueller Hut. That is of course an ideal location to start the hikes. Do you want to camp for free near these places? Then there are several possibilities, such as at the foot of Lake Pukaki.

Have I made you enthusiastic about hiking in these beautiful places in New Zealand and are you curious about more travel information about this fantastic country?

Also read: Travel information New Zealand | Everything you want to know