30 minute return | 1.5km | Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
The first time I ever came to New Zealand was a three-week Christmas Holiday in which I chose to do a hop-on-hop-off bus tour through the whole country. It was whistlestop to say the least, but my overriding memory of that trip was the drive down the winding road along the shores of Lake Pukaki and into Aoraki Village. It is hard to put into words how awe inspiring the scenery is here and that image stuck with me when I returned to Europe and eventually pulled me back to Aotearoa permanently!
If you are planning a trip to the South Island then you can't skip Aoraki / Mount Cook. It is a tiny village with a lot of great adventure options suiting most ability levels. The place has been developed considerably from my first trip here back in 2017, so there are a number of tracks that are now really well constructed and maintained, making access easier for those that are less likely to stray far off the beaten track.
The trail to the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint is only around 15 minutes one way, but you can add a lot of time on to that by taking some of side trip options and following little tracks off the main track to explore different angles. Depending on the time of year that you visit you can expect to see ice bergs in the lake that have drifted off from the main glacier.
I was here in mid-July, so the mountain tops were white and glistening in the winter sun. There was some scattered snow around the track at the bottom end and as you made your way up the many steps to the top viewpoint there were some patches of ice to keep things interesting! I had come prepared with micro spikes, thinking I was likely to need them, but in the end there was enough gravel poking through at the edges of the track that it was pretty easy to avoid the real ice patches and in no time at all I found myself standing at the viewpoint, staring down at the beautifully blue Tasman Glacier Lake in amongst the towering mountains.
In every direction there is something to look at, but periodically your attention is drawn to the sound of a distant helicopter that makes its way through the Tasman Valley for a scenic flight up over the Glacier. Having been up a couple of the smaller peaks around here I know how breathtaking the views are from up high, so imagine those passengers are getting a great view from where they are. I am happiest with my feet on the ground however, so having taken it all in from here I start making my way down one of the little tracks leading off from the main viewing area and down to the lake edge.
The view isn't too different from there to be fair and it looks a bit tricky to get across to the far end where the ice bergs are, so I head back up the hill to the viewpoint and on to the main track before following that back down towards the car park. On the way I turn off to the right to the Blue Lakes which is a 2-minute side trip.
Just before reaching the car park a track veers off to the left towards the river. I followed this to the lake to get a better look at the ice bergs. Again, from the bottom you can wind your way up endless little tracks onto the mounds of rock that surround the lake. A 30 minute return trip to the viewpoint, easily turned into a couple of hours of exploring and enjoying the mountain scenery.
Parking: Tasman Glacier Viewpoint Car Park can be reached by sealed road.
Overnight Options: No overnight options here.
