Day 5 : Twizel - Aoraki/Mt.Cook National Park - Queenstown
Our day started with light rain in the morning, hence we were reluctant to leave the heated Mountain Chalet Motel & head towards Mt. Cook National Park. It was 7 degrees Celcius when we parked at the White Horse Hill campsite to start our hike on the Hooker Valley Track. We chose this track since we were looking for a leisure walk to appreciate views, rather than tiring ourselves too much. This part of the trip is for the nature lovers, this is a MUST DO when you're in Mt. Cook National Park.
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| The Hooker Valley Track starts here. ETA 1 hour, 35mins |
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| Let's begin! |
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| Gorgeous path among trees |
In my previous blog post (read Part 3 here), I mentioned that hiking the Hooker Valley Track is one of my favorite part of this trip. Let me share photos first for you to understand why ;)
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| First suspension bridge |
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| Glacier river under the bridge |
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| Views from the bridge are amazing |
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| Unreal blue river |
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| Bridge to heaven |
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| Glacier river |
Now you know why I can't seem to move on from this experience! :D We felt like we were in another world, we were surrounded by the most serene & gorgeous views. We made the best decision to start our hike early, when it was still cold & drizzling in the morning because the track was practically deserted. We had the whole national park to ourselves most of the time.
The Hooker Valley Track actually consists of 3 suspension bridges. The track will also take you on a boardwalk with spectacular views. After crossing all 3 bridges, at the end of the track, there is an ethereal glacier lake waiting to greet you. You will be simply speechless when you reach the end. It took us around 1.5 hours to reach the lake, since we stopped to take photos a lot of times & also we walked at a leisurely pace.
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| Almost reaching the boardwalk |
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| The boardwalk |
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| Boardwalk runs along the glacier river |
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| Another suspension bridge |
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| On the bridge |
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| Unreal blue glacier river |
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| The amazing glacier lake |
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| Picnic tables are available |
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| Gorgeous beyond words |
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| Ice brought to us by another hiker |
Remember to bring along packed lunch such as sandwiches or pasta salad with you since there are picnic tables available by the lake. This was one meal I will never ever forget, lunch with a million dollar view that money can't buy. The "rocks" that you see in the photos are actually ice. One hiker approached our table & handed us a huge block of ice.
To get back to the carpark at the White Horse Hill campsite, you will hike the same path as you did on the way to the lake. However, surprisingly, the views were slightly different since it was almost midday & the sun started shining. The heavy clouds were blocking the views of the mountain range in the morning. One our way back, the crowds started coming in & it was slightly more difficult to enjoy the views when you keep on bumping into hikers walking towards the lake.
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| Minimalist bridge does not obstruct views |
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| You can hear the snow sliding down the mountains |
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| The view is too breathtaking |
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| Magical views of mountains & river |
Once we were safely back in our car, we were happy to rest our tired feet. However, we had along drive ahead of us, to Queenstown. On the way down south, we stumbled upon a fresh fruits stall where all tour buses stop for the tourists to shop. We were delighted to find locally grown golden kiwis, strawberries, apples & so many other types of fruits.
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| Jones's Fruit Stall |
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| Affordable fresh fruits |
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| Love the colours! |
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| Golden Kiwifruit |
The drive down to Queenstown from Mt. Cook National Park will also take you through Lindis Pass, between Omarama & Cromwell. This is one of the well-known scenic drives in South Island, due to the beautiful hues of yellowish brown grass on the mountain slopes. There is a lookout point along the ~63 km route where you can stop to take photos. We didn't stop though, since we wanted to reach Queenstown before sundown.
It was a 3 hour journey to Queenstown & we checked into YHA Lakeside Queenstown around 4.00 pm. Next on the itinerary is the Queenstown Skyline Gondola & Luge rides. We bought tickets at the counter, NZD 47 for the gondola & two luge rides. We chose 2 rides since the luge has only 2 separate tracks.
Firstly, you will take the gondola up Bob's Peak. You will reach the restaurant & shops area. Then, you need to climb further up the hill to get to the skylift. The skylift takes you the start of the luge track. For first timers, the staff will teach you how to operate the luge - how to go straight/left/right & brake.
