Aoraki/Mount Cook · Easy · There and back

Haupapa/Tasman Glacier view and the Blue Lakes

Up the moraine steps from the end of Tasman Valley Road, by the Blue Lakes, to a viewpoint over Tasman Lake and Haupapa/Tasman Glacier.

Distance
2.1 km (1.3 mi)
Ascent
78 m
Time
About 45 min
High point
796 m
Grade
Easy

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

0 km1 km2 km796 m721 m
Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Haupapa/Tasman Glacier view and the Blue Lakes
Oren Rozen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From the car park at the end of Tasman Valley Road take the gravel track east and start up the steps. After about ten minutes, where the first of the Blue Lakes comes into view, take the side track left to its edge, then come back to the steps. The last stretch climbs to a viewpoint on top of the old moraine wall, looking up Tasman Lake to Haupapa/Tasman Glacier, New Zealand's longest, with icebergs on the water in summer. Return down the same steps.

It is 2.1 km there and back with 78 m of ascent; allow about half an hour. The grade is Easy: a short climb on gravel and more than 300 steps.

Stay at the viewpoint: the lake shore and moraine walls have rockfall, unstable slopes and very cold water. Tutu, a shrub with poisonous berries, grows beside the track. There is no drinking water or mobile coverage. From November to April the car park often fills and tour groups use the steps; the toilets close in winter and can shut in summer when water runs short.

Parking is free. If the car park is full, park with care on the verge of Tasman Valley Road. The road leaves SH80 just outside Aoraki/Mount Cook Village, about ten minutes' drive away; there is no public transport.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • Haupapa/Tasman Glacier, at the far end of the lake, is New Zealand's longest glacier, about 22 km long
  • Tasman Lake did not exist before the 1970s: ponds on the shrinking glacier merged into one lake, now about 7 km long
  • The Blue Lakes were once fed by glacial meltwater; today they are rain-fed and look green
  • Over 300 steps climb the old moraine wall to the viewpoint; there are icebergs on the lake in summer

Getting there

Start: Tasman Valley car park. -43.69790, 170.16293

Directions to the start

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Places to stay nearby

Rooms in and around Aoraki/Mount Cook: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →

Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.

Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.