Hikes and 4WD tours around Aoraki/Mount Cook

7 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

The walks most people come for, the Hooker Valley Track, Kea Point and the Tasman Glacier viewpoint, are Department of Conservation tracks that most visitors walk on their own. The one guided option inside the park is run by the Hermitage hotel and booked directly there (see below). The tours compared on this page start outside the park: a shuttle that takes you to the trailheads for a day, a guided walk across a high-country station after a short helicopter ride, a guided summit hike near Tekapo and a set of 4WD and farm tours on private land around Lake Tekapo.

A day in the park without a car

Tekapo Shuttle runs a full-day trip from Lake Tekapo to the national park all year. You meet at the Four Square supermarket car park in Tekapo at 08:00 from September to May, or 08:30 from June to August. The first stop is Peter’s Lookout on Lake Pukaki, then the bus reaches the Hermitage in the village at about 10:00. From there you choose between the Tasman Glacier View Track, with around 300 steps, and the Tasman River Track.

At 11:30 the shuttle drops you at the start of the Hooker Valley Track. The walk takes about three hours return, and a shuttle runs from the Hooker car park to the village every 30 minutes between 13:00 and 14:30. The bus leaves the Hermitage at 15:00, stops at Lake Pukaki at 16:00 for the salmon shop and is back in Tekapo between 16:30 and 17:00.

All the walking is self-guided. The coach seats up to 60, so this is a transport service with commentary rather than a small-group tour. Water, snacks and wifi are on board, snow spikes are handed out when there is snow, and you bring your own lunch. Reviews praise the drivers’ advice on which walk fits your time, and two points come up again and again. Slower walkers find the Hooker Valley window tight, and in storms DOC closes the track, after which the operator gives a partial refund; a full closure brings a full refund. One guest pointed out that with a car of your own you can do the same walks without the tour.

Walking the park tracks on your own

The Hooker Valley Track starts at White Horse Hill car park and gains only about 80 metres over 5 kilometres. It crosses three swing bridges and ends at Hooker Lake, with Aoraki at the head of the valley. DOC rates it easy and allows 3 hours return, or an hour more from the village. Toilets stand 15 minutes past the second bridge. Parking at White Horse Hill costs a fee, card only, and from December to February the car park and the track are often full. Our page on the Hooker Valley Track has the details.

Kea Point is shorter and climbs a little more: 2 hours return from the village, or 1 hour from White Horse Hill Campground, to a platform facing Mount Sefton and the Mueller Glacier lake. Sealy Tarns is a different matter, with about 2,200 steps and 600 metres of climbing. The Mueller Hut Route above it is rated advanced by DOC and carries considerable avalanche danger from April to mid-November. For a night in the 28-bunk hut between 2 November 2026 and 2 May 2027 you need a booking through DOC’s Mueller Hut page; outside that period tickets are sold first come, first served at the visitor centre.

To walk the Hooker Valley with a guide, go to the Hermitage hotel, which runs guided hikes from 1 September to 31 May. The half-day walk leaves on foot from the hotel at 8:30 am or 1 pm and takes three to four hours. The full day starts at 8:30 am, lasts five to seven hours and includes a packed lunch. Children must be at least 8 and able to keep up with the group. You book by email with the hotel; the walks are not sold through the tour sites compared on this page.

Guided walks you can book

The Glentanner High Country Heli Hike starts with an 8-minute helicopter flight onto station land and continues on foot along a 4x4 track of about 7 kilometres, with a guide, views over Lake Pukaki and the Tasman delta, and a stop at a restored field station. It takes about 3.5 hours, groups have up to 15 guests, and you need your own walking shoes. If you want ice under your boots instead, see the Tasman Glacier heli-hike.

Near Tekapo, Go Tekapo offers a guided summit hike from its town office, with a shuttle to Mt Hay Station. Mount Hay, between about 750 and 1,000 metres, is the easier option. Mount Edward and Mount Ardmore reach about 1,900 metres and need a 30- or 40-minute 4WD approach first. Down jackets are lent, the minimum age is 12, and you bring boots and water. The hike has very few reviews so far.

4WD into the high country

The 4WD tours cross private high-country stations, with access included. Tekapo Adventures drives up to six guests in a Land Rover Defender through Braemar Station to a musterer’s hut, with views of Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Aoraki and Mount Tasman, and tea and snacks on the way. The company’s second route heads into the Cass Valley north-west of Tekapo, crossing streams to musterers’ huts on a merino station, with a chance of seeing the black stilt or the wrybill. Each tour takes about three hours from the township.

Go Tekapo’s Mt Hay Station sits about 5 kilometres outside town. Its 4WD tour climbs to the top of Mount Hay for a view towards the national park, stops at Phantom Lagoon and Boundary Creek Hut, and takes at most four guests. It is not suitable for people with back problems or motion sickness. On the Braemar route, weather or farm work can change the plan on the day.

Farm tours and driving yourself

On the same station you can drive a two-seat ATV behind a guide, with photo stops above the lake. Drivers must be 18 and show a valid licence, passengers must be 10, and the tour is closed to people over 70 or over 100 kg. The sheep muster puts up to four guests in a five-seat ATV with the shepherd and his dogs for two hours, from age 7 and only with good English. The high-country farm tour uses a 12-seat van for up to 10 guests, with merino sheep, Angus cattle, alpacas to feed and a stop at Irishman Creek Hut.

Weather, season and safety

October to April is the main walking season. Weather in the mountains can change fast, and DOC’s Land Safety Code asks you to pack warm clothes and extra food, tell someone your plans and choose a walk that suits you. The glacier lakes stay at about 3 °C, cold enough to cause hypothermia quickly, and icebergs can roll without warning, so stay off them. In winter, shaded sections of the Hooker Valley Track turn icy and slippery; DOC recommends microspikes and walking poles. The Braemar Station tour usually runs in any weather, which makes it a fair choice for a grey day.