Mt. Cook is New Zealand's highest peak. Though it is quite a mission to climb it, there are lakes nearby that offer beautiful mirror image views on a clear day. There's also lots of other things to get amongst in the area if mountaineering isn't your thing.
On a clear day the views of Mt Cook (NZ’s highest peak) are pretty impressive.
There are a number of excellent walks in this area. The hike up to Mueller Hut is awesome and gives a very real impression of what it is like to be up high in the alpine environment. You can stay in the hut if you want but this walk also makes for an excellent (but strenuous) day walk. If it gets too steep you can stop halfway at Sealy tarns, which provide great views of Mt Cook.
If you do want to stay overnight in a hut the hike to Ball Shelter is easier. Perched above the mighty Tasman glacier this is an amazing place to spend a night.
Alternatively the walk up the Hooker Valley is excellent. Just go as far as you feel like and return the same way.
If you want to climb higher in the southern alps you either need to be super experienced or hire a guide. These are BIG dangerous mountains.
Highway 8 takes you through the beautiful MacKenzie Country and past Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. You could check out the MT Cook Salmon farm.
Lake Tekapo is beautiful and the Church of the Good Shepherd has become a famous landmark. There is a collection of touristy shops and accommodation options here.
Mt. Cook was off the hook. The information place right before the mountain had a lot of really cool stuff. It was like a little museum. The mountain itself was absolutely beautiful!
Posted 2010-04-28 11:32:59
2. Lake Takapo and Mt Cook Hector Dimaunahan (BU), Unregistered
The drive to Lake Takapo was pretty nice because on the way there was this sick blue lake that had a reflection of Mt. Cook. It looked like it was folded in half. Pretty cool.
Posted 2009-05-28 10:24:09
1. Glacier walks at Mt Cook Hector Dimaunahan (BU), Unregistered
At Mt Cook nature park there were two tracks: the Tasman glacier and the glacier lakes. The glacier lakes is a lake with icebergs in it which is pretty cool. On the Tasman glacier you see nothing of a glacier except and Ed Hilary statue and gravel mounts and water. I went down both tracks and they look almost exactly the same.
