Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the glacier's last major advance (17,000 years ago), the glacier crept south far
enough to carve out Lake Pukaki. A later advance did not reach out to the valley sides, so
there's a gap between the outer valley walls and the lateral moraines of this later ad-
vance. The unsealed Tasman Valley Rd, which branches off Mt Cook Rd 800m south of
the village, travels through this gap. From the Blue Lakes shelter, 8km along the road,
the
Tasman Glacier View Track
(40 minutes return) leads to a viewpoint on the moraine
wall, passing the Blue Lakes on the way.
Activities
Hiking & Climbing
Various easy walks from the Hermitage area are outlined in brochures available from
DOC. Longer walks are only recommended for those with mountaineering experience, as
conditions at higher altitudes are severe and the tracks dangerous. If you intend staying at
any of the park's huts, it's essential to register your intentions at the DOC visitor centre
and pay the hut fee. Intentions cards are also recommended for longer day walks.
For the experienced, there's unlimited scope for climbing, but regardless of your skills,
take every precaution - more than 200 people have died in climbing accidents here. The
bleak
In Memoriam
book in the visitor information centre begins with the first death on
Aoraki/Mt Cook in 1907, and since then more than 70 climbers have died on the peak.
Highly changeable weather is typical here: Aoraki/Mt Cook is only 44km from the
coast and weather conditions rolling in from the Tasman Sea can mean sudden storms.
Unless you're experienced in such conditions, don't climb anywhere without a guide.
Check with the park rangers before attempting any climb and always heed their ad-
vice. Fill out a climbers-intentions card before starting out - so rangers can check on you
if you're overdue coming out - and sign out again when you return. The visitor centre
also hires locator beacons (per three days/week $30/40).
Walkers can use the
public shelter
( 8am-7pm Oct-Apr, to 5pm May-Sep)
in the village,
which has running water, toilets and coin-operated showers. Note that this shelter cannot
be used for overnight stays.
Hooker Valley Track
HIKING
Perhaps the best of the day walks, this track (three hours return from the village) heads
up the Hooker Valley and crosses three swing bridges to the Stocking Stream and the ter-
minus of the Hooker Glacier. After the second swing bridge, Aoraki/Mt Cook totally
dominates the valley, and you'll often see icebergs floating in Hooker Lake.
