Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand

We returned to this area with some friends before we left New Zealand. This time we stayed in a family ‘bach’ (pronounced batch) in nearby Fairlie. Bach seemed like such a strange word to use for a holiday home that I had to look up its origin.

“A bach, also called a crib in the southern half of the South Island, is a small, often modest holiday home or beach house in New Zealand. Bach was for some time thought to be short for bachelor pad, but they tended to be family holiday homes. An alternative theory for the origin of the word is that bach is the Welsh word for ‘small’ and ‘little’. The phrase Tŷ Bach (outhouse; literally ‘small house’) is used for outbuildings.” – Wikipedia

And now we both know…

Before our trip, Joel and I watched many videos of popular places to visit in New Zealand. Several spoke about a hike in the area. When we mentioned it to our friends, everyone agreed to hike the Hooker Valley Track; and we, the JJ’s (as our friend Monique calls us), are so glad we did. It was one of the highlights of our time in New Zealand.

“The Hooker Valley Track is the most iconic walk in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. So, if you only have time to do one walk, this should be the one.” – 100% Pure New Zealand

“This winding 10km track follows the Hooker Valley floor to Hooker Lake and generally takes 3-4 hours to complete, including the return. Highlights include views of Mueller Glacier and Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain.” – 100% Pure New Zealand

Pro Tip – If you come in the summer, arrive early! We arrived around noon (oops) and the parking lot was overflowing with camper vans and cars. Also, wear sunscreen, a hat, and bring water because the sun is much more intense here in New Zealand.

There are three suspension bridges to cross. These could be a challenge if you don’t like heights, however, even though they swayed a little bit, they felt very sturdy.

This trail also has stairs. A lot of stairs. I can’t say I minded them in the beginning of our adventure, but, by the 10th km (6th mile), my legs were not happy about it.

Our fearless leader John had been here many times. At one point he led us off the path and told us he wanted to show us one of the huts that have been built for hikers to use.

Here is a link to the Dept. of Conservation’s site on the Hooker Valley Track. “The Aoraki/Mount Cook region experiences very fast changes in weather. In this alpine environment it’s common to experience strong wind, high rainfall, heavy snowfall and rapid changes in temperature at any time of the year. Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park weather forecast – NIWA website.”

The Hooker Hut was a great place to take pictures in front of Aoraki/Mount Cook. We all took turns taking pictures in front of this famous mountain.

It was a warm day (about 90ºf/32ºc) and Lucy took advantage of a break to cool off by standing in the cool mountain water.

John led us back to the main trail and we continued on to Hooker Lake.

For most people (including us), the trail ends at the Hooker Lake lookout.

“Hooker Lake is a proglacial lake that started to form in the late 1970s by the recent retreat of the Hooker Glacier. Hooker Lake’s length has doubled between 1990 and 2013 from 1.2 kilometres to 2.3 kilometres, the glacier retreating by over 50 metres (160 ft) per year. It is expected to grow by another 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) as Hooker Glacier retreats further up the valley…” – Wikipedia

A few more pictures from the trail, because I can’t help myself –

As we drove back to John’s bach we passed by Lake Pukaki. The lake was so still that it was a perfect mirror.

Our hike was a fun, fantastic, epic, wonderful adventure. As they say in New Zealand, it was “sweet as”!