Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo

On Saturday morning, we started our journey to Mount Cook by car. After about 4 hours of driving, we arrived at the starting point for the Hooker Valley Track. After a small snack, we started our hike. The Hooker Valley Track is a 10km hike with a recommended time of 3 hours for the round trip. It's not a difficult track and has manageable elevation.

Along the way, there are many photo spots where you can capture beautiful pictures, such as the suspension bridges, the rocks in the water, or at the end of the track with a perfect view of Mount Cook.

Since we took a lot of pictures and took it easy, our total time on the track was about 5 hours. We highly recommend the track, even for inexperienced hikers.

On our way, we passed by the stunning turquoise blue Lake Pukaki, where we stopped on the way back to take some pictures. The lake has a truly beautiful color and paired with the mountain view, it's simply breathtaking.

In the evening, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at a restaurant in Twitzel and stayed at a hostel there.

The next day, we headed to Lake Tekapo. The morning already looked a bit rainy, and unfortunately, the weather at Lake Tekapo was not the best either. It was very windy. We had never experienced such strong winds before. Recommended spots at Lake Tekapo are the Footbridge and the Church of the Good Shepherd.

After exploring those, we started the Mount John Summit Circuit Track, which was estimated to take 1.5 hours. Unfortunately, the track was mainly through the forest, so we didn't really have a view of the lake. It was uphill the whole time. When we reached the top, it was so windy that we were afraid of being blown away. The view was nice, but we had imagined it to be more spectacular. In good weather, we would recommend a hike around the lake instead.

After the track, we refreshed ourselves and then headed back to Dunedin. As soon as we got in the car, it started raining. Perfect timing.

It was a very nice weekend, and seeing Mount Cook is a must-do in New Zealand! We are constantly amazed by the landscape in New Zealand every weekend!