From Queenstown: Mt Cook & Hooker Valley Day Tour

About This Experience

This is a long day built around one walk. A small-group minibus collects you in Queenstown, crosses Central Otago and the Lindis Pass into the Mackenzie Basin, and delivers you to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park with about three hours to walk the Hooker Valley Track on your own. Aoraki, at 3,724 m New Zealand's highest mountain, sits at the head of the valley for most of the walk, and the day finishes back at your Queenstown pickup point about 12 hours after it started.

The drive out follows the Kawarau Gorge past Cromwell before climbing to Lindis Pass, where the tour takes a 15-minute break among the tussock hills. Next comes a 30-minute stop in Omarama for coffee and food, then a 10-minute photo stop at Lake Pūkaki, where the milky blue water runs straight up toward the Southern Alps. Your guide, who is also the driver, talks through the region's geography, Māori heritage and pioneering history on the way.

In the park you walk the Hooker Valley Track at your own pace. The Department of Conservation puts the full route at 10 km return and about 3 hours of walking, over three swing bridges to Hooker Lake at the foot of Aoraki. That matches the time the tour allows, so steady walkers can reach the lake and return, while others can turn around at a bridge and spend spare minutes in Mount Cook Village. The walk is not guided.

On the way home the tour stops for 15 minutes at High Country Salmon, a salmon farm in the Mackenzie high country, and for 15 minutes at Jackson Orchards near Cromwell for fruit and local snacks. Snacks and water are handed out during the day, but lunch is not included, so pack a light lunch or buy one in Omarama. Good walking shoes with grip and layers for any weather make the day far more comfortable.

Highlights

• Walk the Hooker Valley Track over swing bridges toward Hooker Lake, with Aoraki/Mount Cook (3,724 m) ahead of you
• 10-minute photo stop at Lake Pūkaki, looking up the turquoise lake to the Southern Alps
• 15-minute break at Lindis Pass, the tussock saddle between Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin
• 30-minute stop in Omarama for coffee, brunch or lunch to take into the park
• High Country Salmon farm stop (15 minutes) on the drive home
• Jackson Orchards near Cromwell (15 minutes) for fruit and local snacks

What's Included

• ✓ Pickup and drop-off at 28 locations, mostly Queenstown hotels, plus Frankton Terminus and Cromwell
• ✓ Small-group minibus transport for the full 12-hour round trip
• ✓ Guide and driver with commentary on the landscape, Māori heritage and local history
• ✓ About 3 hours of free time on the Hooker Valley Track
• ✓ Snacks through the day
• ✓ Drinking water

Not Included

• Lunch (buy food in Omarama or bring your own)
• Guided walking: the Hooker Valley walk is self-guided

What to Bring

• Walking shoes or boots with grippy soles that cope with mud
• Weather-appropriate layers for all seasons
• Sunglasses, sun hat and sunscreen
• A light lunch, or money to buy one in Omarama
• Camera and a charged smartphone

Good to Know & Caveats

• You spend your park time on the walk, so bring a light lunch or buy food at the Omarama stop.
• The full Hooker Valley Track is 10 km return and DOC estimates about 3 hours of walking, which matches the time the tour allows, so keep a steady pace if you want to reach Hooker Lake.
• New Zealand weather is unpredictable at any time of year, so dress and prepare for all seasons.
• DOC notes that shaded parts of the track can be icy in winter.
• Bikes, alcohol and drugs, and electric wheelchairs are not allowed on the tour.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.

Meeting Point

Pickup is included from 28 locations, mostly central Queenstown and Frankton hotels plus Frankton Terminus and the Cromwell Fruit Sculpture; choose yours when booking. Drop-off is at the same set of locations.