at only 1h20min drive from eachother, I’d recommend doing these two in one day. The drive is beautiful!
The Hooker Valley track
This is an easy (usually) 3-hour hike on wooden paths and steady ground.
Finding a parking spot was fairly easy as well.
Nestled between alpine giants, including Aoraki/Mount Cook (New Zealand’s highest peak at 3,724 meters. Fun fact: Sir Edmund Hillary climbed it at age 20, long before he became the first to summit Everest. (Yes, that guy on the NZ $5 note.)
Now, back to the “Hooker” bit—don’t ask us why it’s named that, but despite the sketchy name, the track was surprisingly flat and family-friendly… at first.
Then came the twist: winds picked up to 8 Beaufort, slamming rain sideways like tiny knives. A casual hike suddenly turned into Navy SEAL survival training. Tourists were being blown off the paths but we held our ground.
No photos from this stretch (I feared my iPhone would literally fly away).
We’d had enough after that. A quick warm-up in the car and we were back to life.
Lake Tekapo: what to do
What to do:
Enjoy lupins around lake Tekapo
Lupin (flowers) season is from late spring to early summer (Nov–Jan). I hope you’re lucky! We certainly did.
Hike the Mt John Summit Circuit Track
The hike is quite easy and flat (about one hour depending on how fast you walk). At the left side of the lake you’ll find a path (at first we didn’t find it so we kind of walked on the beach for the first part and fought our way trough bushes to reach the path- would not recommend). The hike is a beautiful loop, with a great view on the lakes as turning point. There are lots of cute sheep if you’re visiting in the right season (nov-dec).
Visit the Good Sheperd’s church
Famous for it’s pittoresque vibe, and the ultimate wedding church. Open to visitors, but I’d recommend visiting at sunrise or sunset for better pictures.
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