The central portion of the South Island of New Zealand is filled with national treasures. Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo are two of the most popular places to see, but that’s not all for this part of the country.
We left Christchurch after just two nights to head to the Mackenzie Region. This region of the country includes Mt Cook/Aoraki National Park, the famous turquoise Lake Tekapo, and many glacial rivers and run-offs. The colors were so incredible and didn’t even seem real. There will be lots of photos in this post and I wish they could capture what we actually saw with our eyes.
Best Things to See On Your Way to Mt Cook
An Underrated Hike: Rakaia Gorge
Just as we were starting to see mountains under the clouds, we came to our first stop of the day. This was not in our Lonely Planet book, but Justin saw it on Google Maps when we were plotting out our route and we are so lucky that he did. We hiked for about 90 minutes here with views of the turquoise river and the mountains behind it.
After our stop here, we drove on the inland scenic route until we reached the town of Geraldine. There are lots of great bakeries and cafes in this town plus a great cheese shop that has samples (we can’t pass those up). We tried cheese & pineapple sandwiches which sounded weird, but were amazing. Fairlie is the next town after this one, famous for the bakehouse serving pastries or savory pies.
Relax by the Turquoise Waters of Lake Tekapo
The route took us uphill from Fairlie and we knew we were heading in the right direction. The first glance of the turquoise waters put tears in my eyes. If you know me, you know that I’m rarely speechless. I found myself unable to talk in those next few moments as we neared the lake.
I wish we had more time here to explore. Taking in the colors at sunset or sunrise would have been magical. There were quite a few people lingering around the old church, but once you got down to the lake, it’s quiet and peaceful.
Lake Tekapo is also a beautiful place to view the stars when the sun goes down. If you are traveling via campervan, see if you can find a spot to spend the night.
Stop at the View Points of the Neighboring Lake Pukaki
This lake didn’t seem to be in as many guidebooks and Pinterest posts as Tekapo. I would argue that it’s prettier. The lake itself is quite a bit bigger and Mt Cook towers over the horizon when there are no clouds surrounding it. We were lucky enough to get two sunny and cloudless days in this region so we were always able to see the tallest peak in New Zealand.
Spend the Day Hiking Around Mt Cook (Aoraki) National Park
This was our main attraction while visiting this area and we planned an entire day of hikes. We ran into our first shoulder season closure when we got to the Hooker Valley Trek. We are huge believers of shoulder season travel, but sometimes you find things are closed. I would recommend that one to anyone visiting because I’ve heard the best things, but I also really enjoyed the hikes we did as well.
Kea Point Trek
This trek starts from the same place as the Hooker Valley Trek and it is the much quieter path. It’s only an hour return, so if you want to hike longer, you can take the Sealy Tarns track. This post from Marta (In a Faraway Land) lays out a few good hikes and came in handy when our plans changed. We stopped at the lookout to eat the lunch we packed. The sun was shining and the views of Mt Cook were breathtaking.
Tasman Glacier Viewpoint & the Blue Lakes
We drove to a different part of the park to check out Tasman Lake. This hike was also only about an hour, but there were a few branch outs that we took to see the Blue Lakes (which are actually green because the glacier water doesn’t get to them anymore.) There are lots of stairs on this one, so be prepared for a glute workout. Seeing the icebergs in the gray colored water was so beautiful.
The Tasman Glacier is the largest in New Zealand but it’s shrinking quickly. In the early 1970’s, there was no Lake Tasman and now it is almost 7 km. They predict, with the fast melt currently happening, that the lake will reach its maximum size in 10-20 years and the glacier will eventually disappear. It’s fascinating to see these forces of nature with my own eyes, but makes the climate situation so real and scary. Click here to read more about this specific glacier.
Logistics and Where to Stay Near Mt Cook
We had another amazing stay with AirBnB, which we had the best luck with on the South Island. The place was a little high on our price range, but it was hard to find much in this area, so we kept our stay to just two days and made the best of it.
There were tons of restaurant options in Twizel and the Lake Tekapo area. We just stocked up at the supermarket and cooked at home, but there is something for everyone here.
Final Thoughts on Visiting Mt Cook and the Mackenzie Region of New Zealand.
I was so surprised to see that Mt Cook/Aoraki is not in the top 20 experiences in New Zealand. The park was beautiful, well-signed, not consumed with gift shops or restaurants. I would recommend spending at least 2 days in this region.
There is amazing hiking, the most beautiful water you’ve ever seen and it’s one of only 11 international dark sky reserves in the world so the stargazing is better than most spots.
Pin this for your trip to Mt Cook:
