28 February 2018

The morning travel from Queenstown to Twizel did not go as planned. We finally arrived in Twizel about 2 hours late. We quickly checked in to our cabin and drove alongside Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook National Park. Because we were on a tight schedule, we did not do everything in the park we had hoped.

Mount Cook National Park, also know by its Maori name Aoraki, is home to the tallest mountain, Mount Cook, and to 8 of the 12 largest glaciers in New Zealand. From the Mount Cook Village, we hiked the Tasman Glacier Track. We could see the Blue Lakes from the trail so we did not do the Blue Lakes Track to save time.

The Blue Lakes are interesting because there are many stunningly blue lakes in the area, however the ‘Blue Lakes’ are not some of them… they are green.

After a short drive through the Hooker Valley, we hiked a portion of the Hooker Valley Track. Unfortunately we did not have time to complete the trail in daylight. The trail is very popular.

On our return trip to Twizel, we spent time at Lake Pukaki. It is one of our favorites in all of New Zealand. We only had a day to spend at Mount Cook National Park but could have easily spent another full day. It’s a special place.