Sarah WallockI wrote this in winter August 2020. The restrictions for Covid had just been lifted in New Zealand.
Queenstown to Mount Cook
Three friends and I shot off to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park bright and early on Friday morning to spend a winter weekend in Mount Cook. We drove from Queenstown to Mount Cook in 3 hours and stopped off for a coffee or two along the way.
At Mount Cook, we stopped at the carpark and headed for the 10km Hooker Valley Track. This is one of the most iconic and photographed tracks in New Zealand. Two of the girls I was traveling with had never hiked it before, so it was exciting to see their first impressions.
Hooker Valley Track
The walk begins with a lovely stroll approaching the first of three swinging bridges. The first bridge crosses a river. The river feeds out towards Tekapo, melting from a massive glacier.
The next bridge and the one after cross a curving river that feeds into a glacial lake. Throughout the track, the path continues to meander to the right and eventually arrives at Hooker Lake. With 5km in and 5km out, it is a relatively flat and easy track. Awesome for trail-running!
Last summer, my friends who were visiting from California, Nick and I went on a lovely trip to Mount Cook for the first time. We couldn’t walk 3m without bumping into tourist upon tourist. Loads of buses, cars and campers were overflowing the carpark at max capacity and then some. It was difficult to enjoy the serenity surrounded by hundreds of other people. This time around, due to it being winter and the Covid-19 travel restrictions, there were only around 20 people along the entire track. There were only a small cluster at Hooker Lake. Hooker Lake is a popular place that people usually stop for lunch.
After gallivanting 5km and crossing the three swinging bridges, we stopped at Hooker Lake to admire the icebergs and listen to the glaciers melting. After enjoying the bliss of Mount Cook, on the walk back we were dreaming of our next stops: hot springs & drinks.
Tekapo Springs & A Night on the (One-Street Long) Town
Loads of people have recommended the Tekapo Springs and I can’t say no to hot pools! We headed over to Tekapo and dropped our stuff at the YHA Tekapo. It is a cheap, clean and nice hostel in the main shopping block. Only $35 for a bed or $38 each for a four-person private room. Good stuff!
We thought it would be a 15-minute walk from YHA to Tekapo Springs and headed out on foot. The walk turned out to be closer to 25 minutes and it was a chilly evening. On the way back we did get some incredible views of the stars but, next time, I think we’ll take the car. In summer, the walk would’ve been perfect but it was pretty dark and cold in winter.
At the Tekapo Springs, entrance to the pools cost $27. There were three hot pools, each at different temperatures. The hottest temp was the adults only pool at 38 degrees. After about an hour we were ready to head out and grab dinner.
The girls and I headed next door to Our Dog Friday for burgers and drinks after our day of activity. We asked around what bars and pubs were open. Everyone said that a hotel across the way had a pub opening that night. We headed to the bar at the Godley Hotel to see what the fuss was about. Our group had a few drinks and we were highly amused by the karaoke festivities.
A Morning Alpine Swim
The next morning we cooked breakfast at the hostel and went for a dip in the alpine Lake Tekapo. We strolled over to the Church of the Good Shepard down by the lakefront. After that, we moseyed back to Queenstown. Tekapo and Mount Cook are definitely worth a visit on any given winter weekend. There are fewer people around in winter and the scenery is equally as gorgeous.
Church of the Good Sheperd
