The drive to/from Mt Cook NP runs along the stunning blue Lake Pukaki with opportunities to stop…read moreand take photos. Roads were sealed and in good condition. It was a 1 hour plus drive to reach the NP from the SH8 turnoff. The parking lots were pre-paid ($5NZD per hour) but you could park along the road for free. Parking lots were gravel and potholed in places so watch out. We visited in mid fall and had rain showers and low cloud cover the entire time we walked three different trails. While we couldn't see Mount Cook we did enjoy the beautiful scenery. There were multiple hiking trails from the main parking lot. The Kea Point Track was shortest one at one hour return. It was a relatively easy trail that took us to a lookout overlooking the rubble left behind by the Mueller Glacier which had receded out of view. Views of Mt Sefton and Mt Cook would've been nice. The Hooker Valley Track was the most popular but not open fully. However the new bridges and reconstruction of the trail should wrap up later in the year. We reached the first swing bridge (guideline no more than 20 people at a time) and continued until the fenced off portion to see the other side of Lake Mueller. The Tasman Glacier track was our final hike and was separate drive to a much smaller lot (free parking). It was short, around 30 minutes one way to the lookout, but the hardest part were the many stairs up. This trail brought us the closest to the glaciers (relatively speaking) and a few chunks of ice were floating nearby (separate track to go down to the beach). The final stop was the visitor center in the village, another drive away. It contained some very informative exhibits on Mount Cook, native plants and animals, as well as becoming a park and destination. Definitely a must see when you're in NZ. We would come back again for a repeat in sunnier weather.

If you so happen perchance to be on the South Island in New Zealand …read more... Visit the Mount Cook National Park it is a spectacular place to visit, hike, and just marvel in the majestic mountains. The Hooker trail is the most prevalent trail and it is an easy 7 mile back and forth journey. The end is an unbelievably beautiful glacial lake and you can even see the glacier at the end. Gets insanely crowded. Pack a lunch, water, and sunscreen

When I first heard of this lake, I was told it was called lake take-a-poo. I had been pronouncing…read morethis place as such for a while and like the adult I am, enjoyed the name very much. Unfortunately, its pronounced lake -teck-a-po, with one o at the end as spelled. I think I will always remember this lake now. The lake itself on a july afternoon was very pretty. Still, serene, freezing, and blue. Perhaps summer is when the turquoise I'm reading about takes hold. I like how easy it is to walk right up to the lake. If it weren't so cold out I would have probably enjoyed the view a bit longer. We walked along the lake and to the dog statue as well. Saw the church of the good shepherd which is a tiny tiny building. Taking photos from my iphone didn't do the scenery justice so I ended up putting away my phone and just soaking up the view. I've seen some beautiful scenic lakes and mountains in my life and I didn't think this was a 5 star view. I'm sure its more breathtaking in the spring and summer when the flowers are out and the water is turquoise, but its not as nice as I was hoping it would be.

Lake Tekapo was one of our stops in our drive from Queenstown to Christchurch, and I wish we stayed…read moremore than one night as this place was beautiful and magical. A snowstorm was coming, and did not want to be trapped or delayed by road closures. It's about a 3 hour drive from Queenstown, which was an amazing drive! This is a small town with a small city centre with limited options, but you're here for the amazing scenery of the snow-capped mountain range behind the everchanging, various shade of blue lake. It's bright and turquoise during the day that changes to teal later on in the day. The water is very clear, clean, and crispy. There are other places to visit such as the Church of the Good Shepard that's right beside the lake; the Mt. John Observatory, which is weather dependent (road going up can be closed due to wet or snowy conditions); the Tekapo hot springs; regional park; shoreline beaches, and etc. Remember to take the foot bridge that goes over the lake between the Church and city centre. Overall, Lake Tekapo is an amazing and relaxing place! I will definitely come back next time to New Zealand. All the people we encountered were so nice and friendly. The town is small, and places do close a little earlier than what you may be used to if you don't live here, and has everything you need and different cuisines to choose from.

Fox River South Side Valley Walk is a steady uphill on an easy grade gravel surface suitable for…read moremountain bikes, strollers and hikers. There are two main view points of the glacier, but you will still be 2-3 km away from the glacier. The last viewpoint is not suitable for strollers and is more uphill and is the best view. ON the way - take the Moraine loop trail which parallels the main trail. This has some lush forest, fern and moss landscape.

We did the short walk to Peter's pool, with nice views, then carried on to the other short walks…read morewith views of Franz Josef glacier. These paths were very easy 20 minute walks suitable for anyone.

We were supposed to take a helicopter ride and do a guided hike on the glacier, but our trip was…read morecancelled due to low clouds that would have made flying unsafe. The staff at the company offered a guided valley floor walk for a fee, but they kindly noted that the trail on the valley floor was part of the national park, and was free of charge if we wanted to just drive there and walk on our own (since we did have a car!) We were very thankful for the tip! This is an absolutely beautiful park! Yes, driving there does involve a few of New Zealand's famous one-way bridges, but it is worth it! The Franz Josef Glacier Valley Walk takes hikers past what the glacier left behind; geology buffs would go nuts for this! For the average person, the colors and patterns on the rocks are beautiful! There are some beautiful waterfalls along the way, and the ever changing pattern of the water in the valley floor will keep hikers on their toes! Signs are posted that give current trail conditions, and warn if flood risk is likely; as long as risk is low, it seems the worst that happens is that you may have dry shoes hiking out, but soggy ones coming back! The valley floor is very exposed, so sunscreen, a hat and water are a good idea. The views of the glacier are beautiful! The trail ends about 750m from the glacier, so, no, you don't get to walk on it, but you do get to see it pretty well! We also did the Douglas Walk to Peter's Pool which was another pretty view of the glacier reflected in the pond. As an added bonus, this trail is through the rain forest. We enjoyed the plants and birds a great deal! Finally, after dark, we did the Terrance Walk to see the glow worms. This is definitely worth doing; bring a flashlight so you don't trip, but then turn it off to enjoy the glow worm show! Trails are all nicely maintained and clearly marked! This ended up being a great plan B when our trip was cancelled!

Bautiful glacier, I agree that it was underrated and less popular than Franz Josef but it is also…read morenice because it was alot more laid back and the road less crowded. The holiday park at Mount Cook has a beautiful outdoor kitchen with the glacier showing in the background. I knew that this park was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life and I planned to propose on top of the glacier here; the photos came out amazing and the tour guides/helicopter pilot was super friendly and awesome to work with. They pointed out that in front of the national park is where a large LOTR battle took place but the actual glacier should have been the feature because of its beauty. Go visit at least once in your life!

There is nothing in NZ which is not must do. NZ is gods own country ... beauty all over the place …read more Mt cook is definitely one of the best places I saw in my trip . It's beauty is hard to describe in words , snow capped mountain peaks , bright piercing sun light creating numerous small rivers n glaciers , beautiful wild flowers , crystal white color sheeps , most amazing n helpful people , this place is like a meditation center ... so so so beautiful .... we took helicopter ride which was bit expensive but definitely so worth it ....

Looking for a rainy day activity for you and your family when visiting Franz Josef Glacier? The…read morethe West Coast Wildlife Centre may be just the place for you as it is open 365 days a year and the best part is that it offers you an opportunity to see a rare New Zealnad Rowi Kiwi. The centre is broken down into a couple of major areas, the kiwi, which is well worth the money spent to go here, and the glacier area that just seems a little too fake for me. So let's start with the positives. The kiwi area does a great job in educating you about the work they are doing to breed a very rare kiwi. It starts with an educational video that gives you some great information ( like did you know the kiwi egg is so big, it would be like a human giving birth to a 6 year old sized child? Ouch!) You then go into a darkened area lit only with the red darkroom lights as kiwi are nocturnal. In the pens are the baby kiwi before they are released back into the wild. You can stay as long as you want in the darkened area and since this is the shining star of the centre, I'd suggest you spend plenty of time here. And if you can't find the kiwi in the darkened room, go and ask someone who works there. They will happily seek them out for you. As you exit the kiwi area, there is another short video to watch about the breeding program that the centre does. Pretty interesting stuff. The next area really didn't do much for me as it is an area of plastic glacier models. I get that the idea is to educate but with the real thing not that far away, these models just fall flat, although the water dripping sound effects are nice. And maybe a kid would want to climb up and explore, but for this grown up? I walked through as quickly as I could. And finally, there is another video which talks about all the great wildlife you can see in New Zealand and then you are out in the gift shop. All day passes will run you $35 per adult (I feel like I must have missed something as I can't imagine what you would do in this place all day). I was in and out in probably an hour or so. There is also a small cafe for coffee and snacks. All in all, the kiwi alone are worth the visit on a rainy day.

Our heli-hike to Franz Josef Glacier was canceled due to weather so we went here instead and I'm…read moreglad we did. We paid just for regular admission (which grants you all-day access). I found the posted information and videos interesting. The highlight of course is the dark room with the kiwis. We saw one adult and three chicks and it was awesome. They were active and fun to watch (and pretty easy to spot). This was a fun rainy day activity.

This is a nice moderate walk/hike around Lake Matheson, but my one tip would be:…read more If you're doing the trail to see the famous view of the mountains and glacier, take a look at the start of the hike to see if you can see the glacier! We had a cloudy afternoon with some wind that moved in fast so we couldn't see the reflection or the famous view, which made it just a regular hike. Very dependent on weather if you want that postcard view!

We walked through the trails and forest to get to the river suspension bridge (jetty view point)…read morewhich takes approximately 20 minutes, admiring the flora and fauna along the way. The track continues through the conservation forest to a pontoon that extends out onto the lake which took about 30 minutes. On a calm day, this lake create a magnificient reflection of the surrounding, especially the beautiful reflected views of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. It was very serene and pictureque.

We took the Flying Fox helihike at $425 per person. As the weather forecast was rain, we were told…read moreupfront that we would get a full refund if the flight is cancelled, 60% if we were flown there but not allowed to hike and 30% if the hike was less than an hour. Thankfully we had weather good enough to fly and hike for an hour or so. We were provided waterproof pants, jacket, crampons and hiking socks and shoes. Our guide Larn was very helpful and tried to make the visit as interesting for us as possible, creating photo opportunities which were delightful! We felt very safe and had a great morning. The only bummer being that we had to cut short our hike as the pilots anticipated bad weather. Highly recommended if you've not been on a glacier.

Visiting Fox Glacier and nearby Franz Josef Glacier will be a highlight for any visitor to New…read moreZealand. We signed up for the Flying Fox. It's not cheap, around £150 each but incredibly good value for a helicopter ride and fully guided tour on the glacier. The set-up is extremely professional. You can book online, at the tourist office or directly at the office in the village. Trips go most days but because of the helicopter flight check in the morning to ensure no adverse weather will delay or cancel the trip. First off you take a bus down to the helicopter pad about 5 minutes away. You're kitted out with proper ice boots and crampons and given a health and safety demo and check. Then it's off into the helicopter for a short 10 minute flight up the glacier. The pilot will point out a few things and then land you on the ice - pretty impressive. You meet up with your guide who then shows you how to put your crampons on and walk on the ice. You get around three hours on the ice, which is plenty of time to see ice caves, take some pretty cool photos and have a play around. Our guide, Willy, was excellent and had extremely good knowledge of the glacier. The helicopter comes back to pick you up and your day is complete! Expect to have some achy muscles the next day. Your pictures will be amazing and you'll have some good stories to tell your friends.