Stunning View of Mount Cook National Park, NZ

Mount Cook National Park is undeniably captivating, offering a spectacular landscape that attracts adventurers and nature enthusiasts from around the world. New Zealand was one of the countries I had always wanted to visit. Finally, my dream of visiting the park became a reality this time. So, I would like to share the highlights of my journey in Mount Cook National Park, including a memorable mountain climbing experience.

Day 1 Monday, Feb.12th, Sunny day

After renting a car at the Christchurch Airpot, I headed up to Mount Cook National Park, after driving for a good 3 hours, a turquoise-blue lake spread in front of me. It was such a beautiful color with the backdrop of snow-capped mountain ranges in the park. It took about 5 hours to arrive at Mount Cook Village in the park, a base camp for mountain climbing.

Day 2: Hooker Lake, Mt.Footstool 2764 m, Stay Hooker Hut, Sunny day

Headed to Hooker Lake with Hooker Valley Track. Crossing three swingbridges, walking along with Hooker River. It took just one hour and a half to Hooker Lake, the glacier lake.

Challenging at Mt.Footstool and Staying at the hut

After resting at Hooker Lake, I headed to Hooker Hut, but I struggled to find it for quite a long time because there were no signs.

I had planned to reach Selton Biv Hut and trek up the glacier terrain in the afternoon. Unfortunately, I had to halt my journey on the way to the hut as I wasn’t feeling well.

Day 3: Stay and relax at Haka Aoraki Mt.Cook, Sunny day

Kanji KakizakiさんによるHooker Hut

Day 4: Stay at Muller Hut 1800 m, Rainy Day

Tough hike, but totally worth it. This overnight mountain climb ranks up there as one of the best I’ve ever done. It was seriously challenging, battling rain and strong winds all day with heavy packs, but I managed to push through and conquer the obstacles.

The first couple of hours were a bit tough – non-stop stairs, steep and slippery. It was even tougher than I had anticipated. Plus, with the rainy weather, there wasn’t much to see scenery along the trail. I was kind of bummed out, but also a bit concerned about the weather’s turn.

After navigating those steep stairs, I hit a fork where the left path led to a hut. The scenery shifted dramatically from green forest to rocky terrain, almost like hitting a tree line. Everywhere I looked, there were these huge jagged mountains, and the weather was only getting worse.

Rain was pelting down, and the wind was howling, turning the rocky ground into a makeshift stream. Making progress became a real challenge, especially with those fierce gusts knocking me around. At one point, I was nearly blown off my feet by a sudden gust – definitely gave me a scare!

After about five hours of tackling and struggling with the severe weather, I finally reached the top of this steep, rugged trail, and when I saw the Muller Hut in the distance, I was very happy.

Day 5: Impressive Scenery Morning

The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze swept through, turning everything into perfection. It was a challenging hike, but definitely worth it.

Day 6: Last day in Mount Cook Village

I enjoyed chatting and cooking with other guests at Haka Aoraki Youth Hostel, it was quite relaxing.

I had a meaningful experience on Day 4. Despite the challenging hike, it was entirely worth it. As they say, the greater the difficulty, the sweeter the reward. My next mountaineering challenge will be in Chamonix, Mont Blanc, Switzerland.