Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park highlights

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park encompasses New Zealand's highest peak, reaching 3,724 metres, and the 27-kilometre-long Tasman Glacier. This alpine region features the Hooker Valley Track, which crosses three suspension bridges to reach proglacial lakes, and the steep ascent to Sealy Tarns and Mueller Hut for panoramic views of the Sealy Range. The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre and the National Park Visitor Centre provide historical context on mountaineering achievements and the area's unique geological formation within the Southern Alps.

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Highlights — Map

mujtaba / CC BY 2.0

A

Mount Cook

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, as of 2014, is listed as 3,724 metres.

Paul Stewart / CC0

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Hooker Valley Track

A 10-kilometre return alpine trek crossing three suspension bridges over the Hooker River, ending at the glacier-fed Hooker Lake with views of the Mueller Glacier and Aoraki / Mount Cook.

Pseudopanax / CC BY 3.0

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Tasman Glacier

Tasman Glacier is the largest glacier in New Zealand, and one of several large glaciers which flow south and east towards the Mackenzie…

Pseudopanax / CC BY 3.0

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Tasman Glacier and Lake Viewpoint

A viewpoint accessible via a short uphill walk from the Blue Lakes car park, overlooking New Zealand's longest glacier and its terminal lake where icebergs frequently float.

Pseudopanax / Public domain

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Hooker Lake

Hooker Lake is a proglacial lake that started to form in the late 1970s by the recent retreat of the Hooker Glacier.

Pavel Špindler / CC BY 3.0

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Mueller Hut

A high-altitude backcountry hut located at 1,800 metres on the Sealy Range, offering 28 bunk beds and panoramic views of the surrounding glaciers and peaks.

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Kea Point

An elevated viewing platform reached by a one-hour return walk, providing views across the Mueller Glacier moraine wall, the proglacial lake, and the south face of Aoraki / Mount Cook.

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Sealy Tarns

Sealy Tarns is a small flat area with two small tarns halfway up the northern slopes of the Sealy Range, New Zealand.

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Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre

A museum and 3D cinema located at The Hermitage Hotel, featuring exhibits on mountaineering history, the legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary, and a digital dome planetarium.

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Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre

Managed by the Department of Conservation, this centre features extensive displays of mountaineering equipment, Māori artwork, and historical information about the national park's exploration.

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Iconic Southern Alps Peaks Glaciers of Aoraki / Mount Cook Wilderness Huts and Shelters Mount Cook Viewpoints & Camps