hikespeak

Mount Ollivier is a 1,933-meter tall peak in the Sealy Range of the Southern Alps in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. In 1939, Sir Edmond Hillary summited the mountain in what is recognized as his first major climb. (He went on to bag some other noteworthy peaks as well...) To get to the top of Mount Ollivier, you will first need to make your way to Mueller Hut, which is accomplished by... Read more.

Mueller Hut is one of the most spectacular destinations for a day hike or overnight trek in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (and perhaps all of New Zealand). Reaching the hut is no simple walk in the park, demanding an ascent of over one thousand meters in just over five kilometers. They truly don't come much steeper than this and that challenge is part of the trek's appeal. Kick things... Read more.

In a park full of massive features, it might surprise you to learn that a couple small ponds are a premier hiking destination. The Sealy Tarns are located 500 meters up a steep mountainside, with mirror-like water that can reflect nearby mountains like Mount Sefton and Mount Cook. Sealy Tarns Track is not very long, but it is very steep, coming it at 5.8 kilometers round trip with 547... Read more.

Kea Point offers a captivating vantage point from a perch above a glacier lake. Mighty Mount Sefton rises high in front of the viewpoint and Mount Cook is in sight as well. Kea Point can be reached from Mount Cook Village for a two-hour outing and you can cut that time in half by beginning from a car park next to White Horse Hill Campground for a three-kilometer round trip hike with 95... Read more.

Hooker Valley Track is among the most popular walking tracks in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and the reasons why are obvious. This 11-kilometer (6.8-mile) round trip hike has non-stop mountain views and the destination is incredible. The track ends at the edge of Hooker Lake, where you can watch icebergs that were set adrift from Hooker Glacier, glide across the water below Aoraki/Mount... Read more.

Two tracks are combined in Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier View Walk for a 1.85-kilometer (1.15 mile) round trip outing, netting views of small pools and a big lake below New Zealand's largest glacier. This Tasman Valley hike ascends rocky moraine to a viewpoint that looks down on a long, milky-colored lake below Tasman Glacier and several peaks in the Southern Alps. Downhill from the... Read more.

White Horse Hill Campground is the place to camp in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and is located a couple kilometers from Mount Cook Village amidst extraordinary hiking tracks like Hooker Valley Track and Sealy Tarns Track. Named after an adjacent hill, the campground sits on a valley floor split by massive mountain ridges. Glacier-covered Mount Sefton looms large above the campsites,... Read more.