Weather, Hikes, and Glaciers in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

After being in New Zealand for two months I’ve seen some truly incredible places. It’s difficult to decide which parts have been my favorite but Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is definitely in my top three. The drastic scenery, crazy weather, and challenging hikes all add to the beauty of this National Park. This part of my trip was certainly a roller coaster ride but I look back on it with fond memories. The mountains, glaciers, lakes, and meadows all bring together this fantastic part of New Zealand that I am not likely to forget.

The Drive

After a wonderful day in Lake Tekapo it was time to make the hour long drive to Mount Cook. It’s a fairly uneventful drive until Lake Pukaki comes into view. This lake lingers in front of Mount Cook, teasing with its perfectly blue, sparkling water. It was a beautiful day with no clouds in sight. I could see every mountain in the distance and so had to stop and take in the gorgeous view. I felt overpowered by the beauty and clarity of Lake Pukaki, and with good reason. The lake has been dubbed some of the world’s cleanest water – cleaner than bottled water.

I continued my drive into the park. At the turn off for Mount Cook I passed a hitchhiker and pondered picking him up. It would only be a 45 minute drive so I did my part in the New Zealand hitchhiking community and picked him up. David was from Spain. He was the 3^rd David hitchhiker I had picked up in my travels, which gave me a good feeling about him. Although oddly opinionated, David turned out to be a fine travel companion. He was going through a mid life crisis of sorts and trying to find himself. Just like me, he was heading to Mount Cook to hike the Mueller Route.

We drove into the mountains and made several stops to enjoy the view. David shared as much amazement as I did in the scenery, which made it even more enjoyable. We decided to stay in White Horse Campground and pitched our tents just before the sun went down. I said goodnight and snuggled up in my sleeping bag, but not before setting my alarm for 3am. I woke up and took a few moments to stargaze. The stars were so bright that I got a twinge of vertigo looking skyward. After a decent dose of admiring the galaxy I happily crawled back into my sleeping bag.

The Weather

The forecast showed a storm coming in and I drove to the visitor’s center first thing in the morning to go over my options. I had reservations at the Mueller Hut for the next night but the ranger recommended canceling my plans. The storm was supposed to be bad and there was a possibility of getting snowed in at the hut. Being snowed in for a day in a small hut didn’t sound intriguing, but more importantly I didn’t want to hike up the Mueller Route by myself in a storm.

I made a game-time decision to start the hike immediately and be back down by early afternoon. It was recommended to split the hike into two days because it was steep and challenging, but not because it was necessarily long. It was only 8am, which meant I had plenty of time to make it back down before the storm rolled in. I went back to the campground and informed David of my decision to hike up right away. He was game and asked if he could join me. I happily said yes because if the weather decided to turn bad earlier than expected we could look after one another.

The Hike

Mueller Route is a 10.4 km (roundtrip) hike with a 1000 meter elevation gain. The recommended time to complete the hike is six hours. David was convinced we could complete it in four, but I immediately doubted my abilities when we started walking. The trail begins with a couple hundred feet of gradual incline until it starts going up like a Stairmaster. As I trudged up the mountain I imagined the Stairmaster machine congratulating me that I had just climbed the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and then Big Ben. Seriously, the vertical went on for what felt like forever.

David wasn’t helping. Not only was he a dedicated hiker but he was incredibly slim. I tried my best to keep up but he always seemed far ahead of me. He would wait for me at the next viewpoint until I caught up, at which point he would speed away again. The hike involved me half cursing its steepness and half relishing the view. Several people had the same idea about hiking before the storm which made the trail fairly busy. As we passed or got passed by different groups of people there was a delightful banter of “I’m so out of shape” and “Why did I do this.”

Finally my “slow and steady” approach to hiking paid off and David began to lose his energy. I was in high gear and took the lead as the hike turned into a rock scramble. There are no false peaks on this hike and I was happy to see we were near the top. The top of the ridge looks down into a giant mountainous valley. There was a huge cracking noise and David and I watched as a giant piece of ice fell from the mountain in front of us.

Mueller Hut was only a kilometer away and as soon as we walked around the bend the wind raged against us. Our warmth from panting up the mountain quickly dissipated and we pulled on our jackets. The snow got deeper and the wind got stronger. The final push to the hut was cut off from the wind which gave us a quick chance to enjoy our surroundings. 100 meters from the hut the wind picked up again and although we had a difficult time closing the door against the wind the hut was warm and cozy.

After sharing some quick snacks David and I headed back down the trail. I assumed I had misheard the ranger when she said to expect 140km/h winds, but I had heard correctly. Never have I experienced wind so strong before. David and I stayed close, braced ourselves, and hurried along the ridge. Half way to the ridge we met a couple debating among themselves to continue on or turn back. We discouraged them going to the hut and convinced them to come back with us. Although Mueller Hut was nice the wind was getting worse by the minute.

Hiking down was uneventful and the clouds were rolling in. Nobody else was making their way up the mountain (thank goodness). With achy knees and sore muscles we made it to the bottom in one piece. All I wanted to do was prop my legs up but David wanted to take the short track to Kea Point lookout. The last thing I wanted to do was continue walking but I gritted my teeth and obliged him. It was a short walk and graciously flat. When we finally made it to the campground David and I looked at the sky and both agreed it was time to leave Mount Cook National Park. I dropped him off at the same intersection I had picked him up and headed the opposite direction. Not wanting to complicate my day I booked a room in the closest town and called it a night.

The Glacier

It rained hard that night but the next morning was clear. Surprising, because according to the ranger it was supposed to be pouring buckets for two days straight. Now the forecast showed a sunny morning and the anticipated storm wasn’t supposed to arrive until early afternoon. It seemed silly, but I mulled over the idea of driving 45 minutes back into the park. I had skipped Tasman Glacier because of the weather, but now that I (hopefully) had a couple hours of sunshine there was a chance to see it. It certainly wasn’t the worst drive and by 10am I found myself back in Mount Cook National Park.

The drive was just as enjoyable the second time around. The clouds gave the view a completely different feeling. I parked, grabbed my raincoat, and headed up Tasman Glacier View. The walk is barely half a kilometer but after my hike up Mueller Route my legs protested. There were lots of stairs and I laughed at myself for taking a break half way up. At the top I couldn’t believe my decision to drive back into the park had gone as planned. It was gorgeous and there was hardly a cloud in sight. This is the longest, and rumored most beautiful, glacier in New Zealand. Seeing it motivated me to do more and I opted for a nice flat walk to the jetty via Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake.

The glacier is a bit dirty

There was a zodiac speeding around the lake taking sight-seers to the glacier face, but it was quiet at the jetty. I perched myself on a small hill adjacent to the first viewpoint  I was at. Although the viewpoint was closer to Tasman Glacier, my hillside was less cluttered. It was the perfect spot. I spent the hour eating lunch and enjoying my crystal clear view. There was only a single wisp of cloud hovering over Mount Cook. Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand, impressively soaring at 3742 meters. I don’t know what crazy thought made me drive back into the park that day but I’m incredibly glad I did.

Interested in visiting Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park?

Mount Cook National Park is three hours from Queenstown and 4 hours from Christchurch. The drive from the Hwy 8 to the park is 45 minutes and utterly gorgeous. There are day tours that go into the park but I would highly recommend spending at least two days there. White Horse campground is a good place for budget travelers who have a tent or campervan. There is a nice community kitchen and clean bathroom facilities. It’s also the trail head to many of the popular hikes in the park, including Mueller Route.

If camping isn’t your thing then stay in the village. There is a motel, two hotels, and a high end lodge. There is a great Visitor’s Center with tons of information and friendly staff. It also includes a little museum with a surprisingly large amount of content. Spend an hour or two looking through the displays to get a feel for the park. There is a gift shop at the visitor’s center as well but it’s not very good. Just a short walk to the lodge and there is a much bigger gift shop.

There are several huts in Mount Cook National Park if you want to do some overnight hikes. Mueller Route is one of the better known ones but there are plenty of other options. I met a couple who gave glowing reviews of Ball Flat Hut which goes along the west side of Tasman Glacier. If you want more information click here.