Top 3 Family Friendly Aoraki Mt Cook Walks

With a packed New Zealand itinerary, we only spent one night at the naturally stunning White Horse Hill campground. However, we did not let the limited time curtail our ability to check out all of the walking tracks. It pushed us to buck up, and we crushed out five hikes, weather be darned. At least 50% of our trekking occurred under some quantity of precipitation.

The NZ Department of Conservation (DOC) recommends three family hikes. However, our top 3 family-family friendly Aoraki Mt Cook walks differ. Regardless, an endless supply of epic scenery abounds in Aoraki Mt Cook, with the best views accessible by foot. Read on for our tips, tricks and recommendations for Aoraki Mt Cook walks, as well as our top three picks.

Hooker Valley Track

The Hooker Valley Track is sometimes referred as the most scenic hike on New Zealand’s South Island, and we understand why.  Even in a light rain on and off the 3 hour return hike from White Horse Hill, it  amazed us with its evolving landscape and milky blue glacier melt. The green and tan vegetation dress the river beautifully as it meanders beneath a series of swinging bridges. Aoraki Mt Cook’s unique scenery provides a perfect backdrop.

Things to know:

There is normally a toilet and water about half-way, but it was out of service – so don’t count on it.

The DOC suggests families return from the first viewpoint, but we enjoyed the entire walk. It is worth noting that CZ did have two trail-side tantrums.

We agree with the DOC that a backpack carrier is essential for early walkers. We did see a pram, but it looked pretty unstable, and had to traverse some steps.

Kea Point

Kea Point provides an accessible and engaging family walk from the campground. It is short enough that CZ walked the entire way, and the views are superb. The track starts at the car park, and about halfway, it forks of to the right. Going left takes you up the Seally Tarns track. Compared to the other tracks we hiked, this was the shortest and rewarded hikers with amazing views with little effort.

Seally Tarns

Seally Tarns is a brutal warmup to the the even more grueling alpine route that served as training for Sir Edmund Hilary’s Mt Everest training. The DOC estimates the return time from the village at 2 hours, but we started at the campground and took almost that long. One of our fellow travelers claimed it was 2,000+ stair-steps up winding switchbacks, and we are unable to confirm nor deny that number. We can confirm there were a lot, and it was steep.

About halfway into the hike, we split up to take turns heading to top so CZ could have more walk time. CZ managed to cover 75% of the climb before EZ became too nervous to continue. Visions of hypothermia and solemn newscasters saying “unprepared hikers were rescued by an emergency helicopter in the early evening…”

While cloud cover obscured the panoramic glacier views, I am still satisfied with completing the hike. After some photos, I headed back down and carried CZ in the Kelty. By the time we reached the bottom, my legs quivered more than I care to admit.

Things to know:

There is no water or restrooms on this hike.

There is a nice picnic table at the top next to the mountain pond, which would have an epic view of the glacier on a clear day.  As a side note, a tarn is a small mountain lake or pond.

If it is muddy there are several places near the top that you could easily slip and fall down the mountain – no handrails or guardrails. Be careful.

Blue Lakes & Tasman Glacier View

Blue Lakes & Tasman Glacier View is a 40 minute return hike that includes an overlook above the Tasman Glacier Lake, and a short walk around the blue lakes. One item of note, that we were unaware of, is that the Blue Lakes are now green. When glacier lakes stop receiving water from the glacial melt, they warm up enough for algae and other bacteria to grow. The bacteria changes the water color, but I guess the DOC did not want to change the name of the track.

Either way, this is a short and enjoyable hike. If you walk all the way around the lake, it will spit you out at the fire road that is part of the Ball Hut route. Turn left for a short walk back to the car park and shelter.

Things to know:

Start with the overlook before completing the lakes loop.

The car park has restrooms, and plenty of spots. We recommend driving over to start this hike. The park teems with breathtaking hikes, so don’t waste an hour walking from White Horse Campground to the trail head.

If you do walk over, there will a fair amount of sharing the road with cars.

Tasman Glacier Lake

Tasman Glacier Lake is a 1 hour return hike. Of the walks from the Blue Lakes carpark, this take the top spot. The path meanders along the alpine scrub until it opens out on the enchanting glacier lake. The topography was unique, and it included a curious field of large boulders. When I arrived at the lakes edge, I jealously eyed people at the end of the track playing with glacier ice blocks large enough to surf.

Things to know:

Overall, this is a fairly flat and easy track. However, the only toilets are in the car park..

Glacier Explorers offer a boat tour of the 7km+ Tasman Glacier Lake. It is $155 for adults and $77.50 for children 4 – 14. I am already lobbying for this as part of our next trip. 🙂

Top 3 Family Friendly Aoraki Mt Cook Walks

1. Hooker Valley – Somehow the landscape changes several times as you progress down the track. It is almost like 5 hikes in one. The swinging bridges are awesome, and the picnic area at the lake is a fabulous spot on a clear day. Also, you can touch glacial ice!
   
2. Kea Point – A nice short hike with a high enough overlook of the Hooker Valley. Overall, this should be a good trail for all members of the family. However, there is little climbing involved. Once you reach the end, the glacier views and valley scene are quite a treat.
   
3. Tasman Glacier Lake – While we didn’t finish this hike, the lakeside astounded us even more from eye level. Also, it is easy to pair with an out and back to the overlook. A Glacier Explorers tour is the only reason I would consider skipping it.

Things to know:

There was no water on the trails, but there is plenty of water available from the taps at the Whitehorse Hill Campground.

Both days in Mt Cook, the weather cleared for a few hours in the late afternoon. If it is raining, perhaps save the longer hikes for then