After a couple indulgent days of wine tasting in Waiheke and Marlborough, it was time to shift gears and get our hiking on. First stop? Aoraki/Mount Cook. At 3,724 meters (12,218 feet), Aoraki/Mount Cook is New Zealand’s highest peak. Located approximately three hours from Queenstown, the national park features numerous walking tracks, and nearby Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki offer stunning views.

Getting to Aoraki/Mount Cook

Since we started our morning in Blenheim, we had a long day of travel to get to Aoraki/Mount Cook (in case you were wondering, Aoraki is the indigenous Maori name for the peak, and Mount Cook is the name later given by English explorers; the Kiwis have decided to be inclusive and use both names, which I am respecting here).

Our 11:10am flight from Blenheim had us stop shortly on the North Island at Wellington before heading back south to Queenstown. At least we could carry on our wine bounty with us! Except Katz forgot and left the wine in the overhead compartment. Wah wah. Suffice it to say that Lindsay was NOT pleased.

While we would be spending four nights in Queenstown later on in our trip, we still had a couple other places to hit first. Upon landing, we picked up our rental car, stopped for lunch in town, and jetted off toward Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Next, we had a three hour drive to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, where we’d be spending the night. We had to drive by the beautiful blue Lake Pukaki along the way, but in true Lindsay travel fashion, we opted to drive an hour out of our way (roundtrip) to see gorgeous Lake Tekapo as well.

While it made for an extra-long day, the stop at Lake Tekapo was well worth it. The blooming lupins set against the aquamarine lake and the snowcapped mountains in the distance made for a hard-to-beat visual scene. Of course we had to embark on a photo shoot.

Given that it was the 22nd of December, we were fortunately able to maximize the extended Southern Hemisphere daylight hours on our quest to see as many beautiful lakes as possible in one afternoon. However, our meandering route would mean that we wouldn’t arrive at our accommodations (Aoraki Alpine Lodge) until after the limited restaurant options in the national park were closed. Fortunately, the lodge offered a communal kitchen so we could cook for ourselves. We stopped at the bustling Foursquare supermarket in the town of Twizel (are we the only people to find “Twizel” to be an oddly amusing town name?) to pick up frozen pizzas, wine, and hiking snacks for the next day.

The drive to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park wound along Lake Pukaki, offering majestic views of the mountain range periodically. New Zealand’s highest peak is often shrouded in clouds, but we were lucky to get a few glimpses of the impressive mountains from the road.

Upon arrival at the lodge, we beelined for the kitchen as we were all starving and ready for a glass of wine. While the accommodations weren’t exactly luxurious, having the ability to stay in the national park and walk out the door to the hiking trails was our priority. We had booked our room nearly a year in advance and felt fortunate to have clinched a highly coveted spot in the park. Most visitors have to stay in Twizel and drive approximately 45 minutes to reach the trailheads. Just another example of when advance planning pays off!

After a lengthy day of travel, we savored our very good New Zealand wine and rather bland frozen pizza in the communal kitchen/lounge, surrounded by other travelers. It was probably the closest I’d come to staying at a hostel all year, but I wasn’t complaining. I felt happy relaxing with Lindsay and Katz, and was looking forward to some active adventures the next day.

Hiking the Hooker Valley Track

Our must-do activity for the next morning was the most popular hike in the park: the Hooker Valley Track. Only 5km long and mostly flat, the trail offers close-up views of Aoraki/Mount Cook (on a clear day) set against the blue-gray Hooker Lake. We planned to get out the door by 8am so we could avoid the crowds and potentially squeeze in another hike (before the drive to Wanaka… and a winery visit… and check-in to our next Airbnb… and dinner).

As advertised, the track was quite relaxed: flat, pristinely maintained, and clearly marked. We saw a few very fit people running purposefully on the trail, while others languorously plodded along in casual jeans and sandals. As the spectacular views didn’t require a lot of work to achieve, I could see why the hike was so popular, and was glad that we were able to start early.

Hiking the Sealy Tarns Track

Given our early start, and the relative ease with which we had finished our first hike, we decided to kick it up a notch and embark on the more demanding Sealy Tarns Track before heading to Wanaka. An out-and-back trail just slightly longer (5.8 km, or 3.6 miles) than the Hooker Valley Track, it was also much steeper (547 meters of elevation change, or 1,795 feet).

The stairs were seemingly interminable, but the weather conditions were essentially ideal, and the views were eye-popping. After seeing Aoraki/Mount Cook and Hooker Lake from the ground, I had a different appreciation for the scenery from above.

By the way, are you wondering what a tarn is? I had never heard of the word. Apparently, a tarn is a small mountain pond formed in a cirque. On that note, do you know what a cirque is? Yet another new word for me, a cirque is a hollow area of land scooped out by a glacier. You’re welcome for the assistance with future vocabulary/trivia games.

At this point, we could have continued on another 2.35 km to Mueller Hut for additional views, but we felt accomplished enough with our 10+ km for the day. Besides, Lindsay had found a winery for us to visit en route to Wanaka, and it closed at 4pm. There was nothing like the prospect of a wine tasting to motivate us get back to the car ASAP.