A trip to Mount Cook/Aoraki is a must visit on any travellers bucket list in New Zealand. There are a few ways to get to this iconic location.

A) The way we'd reccomend is from Queenstown which is also a super fantastic drive with views of mountains along the way. Make sure you stop off at Twizel for some photo opportunities.

B) The other route (unless your travelling down the West Coast) is from Christchurch, this route is slightly longer but still with dramatic views along the way.

We'd reccomend at least two nights at Mount Cook to capture all your Instagram photos & to hike a few of the world class hikes in the area. Please note, make sure you plan ahead before hiking here as depending on the season the tracks will either be closed or have avalanche warnings, which became a close call for us when we were there.

Some of the hikes we'd reccomend are:

1. Hooker Valley Track (2-3 hrs) best views of the mountain & an easy grade throughout the whole hike.

2. Sealy Tarns Hike (2-3hrs) Another classic & well worth doing.

3. Mueller Hut route (8 hours usually overnight) tricky hike & requires fitness, but well worth it for the stunning views.

4. Tasman Glacier Viewpoint

Camping at Mount Cook: There are many free camps in this area which host stunning views, please remember to make sure you have the blue sticker on your van to be able to camp at these areas (if your unsure then look up the regulations on the government website).

We stayed on the shore of Lake Pukaki which was only a half hours drive from the main carpark at Mount Cook. During Lupin season this area is full of the brilliantly coloured purple & pink lupins which are every Instagrammers dream.

Other places to visit are Lake Tekapo, which is located East of the National Park and just over an hours drive.

We hope you enjoyed this trip idea & if you have any questions then please reach out on Instagram @thenomadsyouknow