Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The main track leaves the junction and climbs 120m through beech forest until it reaches
the bushline. Above the trees there is an excellent view of
Lagoon Saddle
(1173m) and the
tarn in its middle.
The climb continues over sometimes boggy ground, and the views of the snowcapped
peaks of Arthur's Pass National Park to the north get better and better. It's about 3km across
the alpine region, with snow poles marking the route around
Mt Bruce
(1630m), until you
return to the forest edge at Burnt Face.
The final leg is a rapid 2.5km descent to Bealey Hut (six bunks). The hut is in good
shape, considering its proximity to the road. It's a five-minute walk to the car park, and from
there a road leads 1.5km through Cora Lynn Homestead to SH73.
AORAKI/MT COOK NATIONAL PARK
The spectacular 707-sq-km Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park is part of Te Wahipounamu -
South West New Zealand World Heritage Area, which extends from Westland's Cook River
down to Fiordland. Fenced in by the Southern Alps and the Two Thumb, Liebig and Ben
Ohau Ranges, more than a third of the park has a blanket of permanent snow and glacial ice.
Of the 27 NZ mountains over 3050m, 22 are in this park. The highest is the mighty
Aoraki/Mt Cook - at 3754m it's the tallest peak in Australasia. Known to Maori as Aoraki
(Cloud Piercer), after an ancestral deity in Maori mythology, the mountain was named after
James Cook by Captain Stokes of the survey ship HMS
Acheron
.
It's not surprising that, with so much rock and ice, this national park is not ideally suited
for trampers. Although the scenery is phenomenal and the day walks to viewpoints are nu-
merous, this is really a haven for climbers. Most valleys west of the divide are extremely
rugged, with steep gorges and thick bush, while to the east they inevitably lead to glaciers
requiring extensive experience and special equipment to traverse. Crossing the passes
between the valleys is a major climbing feat.
Unsurprisingly for a place of such grandeur, the Aoraki/Mt Cook area has long been a
magnet for visitors. The area around Mt Cook Village was set aside as a recreation reserve
in the 1880s, with the national park formally gazetted in 1953. Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt
Sefton dominate the skyline around the village, with the Hooker and Tasman Glaciers also
easily viewed. Satisfying short walks abound, frequented by hordes of visitors, some of
whom will wait for days on end for Aoraki/Mt Cook to emerge from the cloud.
