Things to do around Aoraki/Mount Cook

7 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Aoraki/Mount Cook Village sits at the end of State Highway 80, with no supermarket and only a self-service fuel pump. What it has is the mountain, a set of short walks that start between the buildings, and the national park visitor centre. Most bookable activities lie further out: the scenic flights at the airport a few minutes down the road, and the hot pools, farm tours and stargazing around Lake Tekapo, about 104 kilometres away, and Twizel, about 65.

In the village

Start at the DOC Visitor Centre at 1 Larch Grove. Entry is free, it opens daily from 08:30, and it closes at 17:00 from October to April and at 16:30 from May to September. Climbers and trampers sign in their plans there before heading into the mountains.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre inside the Hermitage covers the history of the region, from early transport to mountaineering and Hillary himself, and the ticket includes the cinema. Hillary unveiled the statue of himself on the deck in July 2003. The centre is currently open daily from 08:15 to 20:00. The same building runs an indoor planetarium show, Galactic Journeys, for ages 5 and up.

Several short walks begin in the village. The Bowen Bush Walk is a 10-minute loop, the Glencoe Walk takes 30 minutes return and the Governors Bush Walk is a one-hour loop. The Red Tarns Track climbs 300 metres in about two hours return, and Kea Point takes two hours return to a platform facing Mount Sefton. The longer Hooker Valley Track starts at White Horse Hill, a short drive or an extra hour on foot.

On the ice and in the air

The heli-hike on the Tasman Glacier is one of the main bookable outings from the village: a short flight, about two hours on the ice in crampons with a guide, and the flight back. The heli-hike page compares the tours and the age limits. Scenic flights with snow landings leave from Mount Cook Airport; see scenic flights. Without any booking, the Tasman Glacier View Track climbs more than 300 steps to a lookout over the Tasman Lake in 30 to 40 minutes return.

Hot pools in Lake Tekapo

Tekapo Springs in Lake Tekapo sells a day pass that covers three hot pool areas between 36.5 and 38.5 °C, one reserved for adults, plus cooler pools and a water play area for children. You can leave and come back on the same day. Children aged 2 and under enter the hot pools free, and aqua wheelchairs are available on request. Towels, swimwear hire and lockers cost extra, and the spa, sauna and steam room are not part of the pass. Opening hours change through the year, so check them before you drive over.

Reviews give a clear picture. People enjoy a warm soak after a long drive or a day on the tracks, but the water is chlorinated and the place feels more like a heated pool than a natural spring. Not every pool looks out over the lake, and on busy days some pools were closed and the rest crowded.

The Tekapo Mt John Walkway starts right next to Tekapo Springs. The full walk along the lakeshore and up Mount John takes about three hours, and the loop around the summit 30 to 45 minutes from the car park by the café. The access road to the top is open from 09:00 to 16:00 and charges a fee per vehicle at the gate, and the Astro Café on the summit keeps the same hours.

The church on the lakeshore

The Church of the Good Shepherd opened in 1935 as the first church in the Mackenzie Basin, on land given by the Murray family of Braemar Station. The architect R. S. D. Harman built it in poured concrete and faced it with boulders from the area, and Heritage New Zealand lists it as a Category 1 historic place. The photo at the top of our stargazing page shows it under the Milky Way.

Farms, lambs and sheepdogs

Go Tekapo runs several farm activities around the town. The petting zoo in the centre of Lake Tekapo lasts about 30 minutes and includes a bag of feed for the merinos, alpacas, pigs and cattle; when lambs are around, you may get to bottle-feed one. One reviewer had expected 45 minutes and was surprised how short it was. In Twizel a second petting zoo adds tahr and horses and offers bottle-feeding of lambs from November to February, with limited places per session.

The one-hour merino shearing and sheepdog show includes a sheep race, but not transport to the farm. For a longer look, the high-country farm tour takes up to 10 guests round the farm in a 4WD van, with alpacas to feed and a stop at Irishman Creek Hut. Guests with back problems or animal allergies should skip these. On the same station you can drive your own ATV behind a guide, with a driving licence and a minimum age of 18 for the driver.

Fishing, salmon and Lake Pukaki

A guided two-hour fishing trip takes up to four people to quiet spots on the shore of Lake Tekapo for rainbow trout, brown trout and salmon. Rods, gear and fishing licences are included, and the guide drives you from the office inside Kiwi Treasure in town. It has almost no reviews yet.

On State Highway 8 between Tekapo and Twizel, the Pūkaki Information Centre houses the shop of Mt Cook Alpine Salmon. Peters Lookout, on the shore of Lake Pukaki, is one of the best places to photograph Aoraki across the water. More on the lake is on our Lake Pukaki page.

Evenings and rainy days

After dark, the main activity is stargazing in Lake Tekapo or Twizel. In the village itself, the Hermitage runs Big Sky Stargazing all year: a bus takes you to its star base near Mount Cook Airport for 75 to 90 minutes at the telescopes with an astronomy guide, from age 8. You book it directly with the hotel. On a cloudy night you get a planetarium show and part of the fare back. For dinner with a view, Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat serves a 2.5-hour seasonal tasting menu at The Moraine, with a Matariki menu in July; guests must be 12 or older and drinks are extra. It has no reviews so far.

Plan a fallback for rain. Mount Cook Village records more than 4,000 mm a year and about 14 rain days a month, while Lake Tekapo gets roughly an eighth of that. On a wet day the visitor centre, the Hillary Alpine Centre and the planetarium keep you busy for a morning, and Tekapo, with its hot pools and indoor astronomy show, is far drier on average.

Wildlife, bikes and drones

Look out for the kea, the olive-green mountain parrot found only in New Zealand. DOC lists it as nationally endangered, with an estimated 1,000 to 5,000 birds left, and asks visitors never to feed them. Bikes are allowed on the cycle paths in the Hooker Valley (2 km to White Horse Hill Campground) and the Tasman Valley (8.5 km), but not on the walking tracks; the 315-kilometre Alps 2 Ocean trail also starts in the park. Flying a drone needs a DOC permit, even for private use.