Day 2 of our camping adventure started off great with our morning photo walk at Tasman Lake (mentioned in the earlier post). After that all of our plans sort of fell apart. When we visited the Mt Cook Visitor’s Center to check in for the hike to Mueller Hut, we were told that the hike was only recommended for people with mountaineering experience due to recent avalanches.
Although my cousin tried to talk us into doing it anyway, my uncle put his foot down and we decided to do the Hooker Valley Track instead. Little did we know that the consolation would be far superior to the original plan.
I documented the entire experience on my Vlog and I would very much appreciate a like/comment and maybe a subscribe if you get the chance.
If you just want to follow along here, feel free to do so:
The trail starts off right next to the White Horse Hill Campground which is where we had camped the previous night. The trail is 10 km long and takes 3 hours according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation. I don’t know in what world it takes 3 hours roundtrip because it took us 2.5 hours just to get there. The trail is far too beautiful to skim through at 1.5 hours each way.
The trail features many viewpoints from which to enjoy various perspectives of Mt Cook and the surrounding Southern Alps. On this particular day the trail was extremely windy creating this fabulous lenticular cloud above Mt Cook.
The trail is 90% flat with the exception of the short hike down to Hooker Lake at the end of the trail. It features no less than 4 suspension bridges spanning the river crossings. Since it was October, most of the peaks around us featured a decent amount of snow.
At every turn of the trail we expected to see the Hooker Lake, but the trail just kept getting prettier and the views even more jaw dropping. If you are a photographer, you simply can’t go wrong with photographing this trail. The compositions are endless.
Just as I sort of gave up on ever getting to Hooker Lake, we turned a corner and arrived at this insanely windy cove with an amethyst colored lake. I really can’t do the lake justice here so just check out the video.
Since the Hooker Valley Track was a very well paved, flat trail all the way through, my cousin thought it was a good idea to have a mini adventure of a sorts. We walked up this random ridge next to the lake shore and at the top the only way back down was a very steep slide down on your bottom. It’s a very irresponsible way of doing things guys so don’t do it!
If you are making the long journey to New Zealand, add the Hooker Valley Track to your list of must do trails. It’s easy enough of a walk for the entire family and definitely loads of fun all the way through. Just make sure to bring a snack or a lunch pack with you to enjoy at the end of the trail to reward yourself for the semi-hard work you’ve done :).
Trip Report: Wild Camping in New Zealand
- Introduction Part 1: Planning a Trip to Middle Earth and Visa Shenanigans
- Review: United Economy Class DFW-SFO-SYD
- Great Drives: Pukaki – Mt Cook National Park
- New Zealand’s Longest Glacier: Tasman
- Great Hikes: Hooker Valley Track
Awesome vlog video, really interesting New Zealand Hike. thanks for this.
wow, amazing picture. Can’t wait to visit New Zealand