Timing

Early and late are the best times to avoid the masses. 70,000 per year walk the track.

Access

The start of the walk is signposted from White Horse Hill Campground at the end of Hooker Valley Road.

Track

Pass the memorial to those who have died in these high mountains. Another memorial shortly after celebrates Freda du Faur, the first female to summit Aoraki.

The well-maintained track recently underwent a $1.7 million upgrade, so is in great nick. Metalled all the way, boardwalks over the soft stuff and 3 of the most magnificent suspension bridges in the country.

Traversing the moraine wall damming Mueller Lake, the track then crosses the roaring river on the first of the swing bridges. Huge boulders disrupt the flow and froth the debris laden river a sombre grey.

A safe distance from the scree walls at the base of the Kirikirikatata / Mount Cook Range, the track then makes its first crossing of the Hooker River.

Boardwalks over the tussock and swamps protect the fragile vegetation. Some memorable views up to Aoraki with the rocky river in the foreground, are the photographers’ chosen spots.

Another crossing of the Hooker River, then a short side trip to an alpine tarn, before the track ends beside Hooker Lake.

You can see the terminal face of the glacier, all smothered in rock debris at the far end. Icebergs are blown down-lake by the katabatic winds and funneled westerlies. A short side track descends to the lake edge.

Return via the same track.

Geology

Previous to glacial action, many valleys were characterised by a system of interlocking spurs protruding into the valley floor – the legacy of water’s erosion carving V’s into the land. Glaciers worked differently and having no regard for these obstructions, simply bulldozed through the rock, truncating spurs to leave a triangular face bisecting the former ridgeline.

Glaciers filled the valleys and joined in the upland areas to form ice caps. The last Ice Age was known as the Otiran and occurred between 80,000 and 10,000 years ago. Ice was up to 2 km deep. Sea levels were up to 120 metres lower and ice reached over 10 km off today’s shoreline. At least 5 glacial advances and retreats are evident. At the conclusion of the last glacial between 35,000 and 14,000 years ago, a Glacial Maximum occurred, a short but intense episode of global cooling. This spurred on the glaciers in a final pulsing advance, which built up the vast terminal moraines, filling the MacKenzie basin and extending glaciers 10 km past the current southern shores of Lake Pukaki. These details give some fuel for thought on the rapidity of climate change that occurs without the influence of humankind.

Hooker Glacier sweeps down it namesake valley. Observe the side walls of moraine - lateral moraines - deposited during a time of relative quiescence in the retreat.