A WALK AMONGST THE GIANTS
26 JANUARY 2024
4 deg C... In SUMMER?!
Mt Cook National Park is nestled amongst the Southern Alps in the South Island of New Zealand and it's one of our FAVOURITE places in New Zealand. We absolutely love visiting as much as we can when we're travelling all over the South Island because it's like no other place in this beautiful country, in fact sometimes we feel like we're hiking through Nepal (not that we've been yet, but based on images we've seen) and the land is so untouched... no powerlines or streetlights or houses in the way of all this beauty (ok sure, there is a tiny village here, but the rest of it is pristine!). We have visited quite a few times now and each time I like to do a new hike, although we're usually here for day trips and there are a couple which require a overnight stay (here's looking at you Mueller Hut!).
The Tasman Lake Track is a short walk to the Tasman Lake which sits at the base of the Southern Alps and is a milky blue lake filled with icebergs that have come off the Tasman Glacier. The track starts at the Tasman Glacier carpark, 12-minutes from the Hermitage Hotel in Mt Cook.
As with pretty much all of our hikes, we picked a clear day so we could get full view of the Southern Alps and, New Zealand's highest mountain, Mt Cook. There were only a few cars at the carpark when we arrived at 8:30am, so we felt like we picked a good time to start the track, as the walks in Mt Cook can get super packed during the peak season in summer. We had done the Hooker Valley Track (HIGHLY recommend this track) in Mt Cook a few days before and it was crazy busy. We arrived just before 9 to start the Hooker Valley hike earlier in the week and the White Horse Hill carpark was already almost packed!
New Zealand weather can be so unpredictable and I always tell travellers to bring gear for all types of weather because you never know what to expect. The day we did the Tasman Lake Track was a perfect example of this - we arrived in the middle of summer and it was only 4 deg C! Brrrrrrr! We were not expecting this at all! We had done the Red Tarns Track in the scorching heat the same week and now we were experiencing almost freezing conditions... say what?!
Before we did this track, we did the Tasman Glacier View Track, which actually starts at the same trailhead as the Tasman Lake Track for a wee while before the track splits into two. We had warmed up a little by climbing all the stairs getting to the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint, so it was a bit more comfortable heading along the Tasman Lake Track in the sun that was getting higher and warmer by the minute and we were no longer freezing our butts off! The reason we decided to do both of these tracks back-to-back is that they are both short walks and we could get the best of both worlds but doing each of them. The Tasman Glacier View Track (30 mins return) offers views from high above the Tasman Lake and you can see all the way across to the Tasman Glacier (NZ's longest glacier) and you get a great view of any icebergs floating along, plus the track goes past the blue lakes (which are now green). The Tasman Lake Track (50 mins return) takes you down to the lake and jetty (where the glacier explorer boats leave from) and up close with any icebergs that might be hanging out at this end of the lake.
The Tasman Lake Track is a short walk to the Tasman Lake which sits at the base of the Southern Alps and is a milky blue lake filled with icebergs that have come off the Tasman Glacier. The track starts at the Tasman Glacier carpark, 12-minutes from the Hermitage Hotel in Mt Cook.
As with pretty much all of our hikes, we picked a clear day so we could get full view of the Southern Alps and, New Zealand's highest mountain, Mt Cook. There were only a few cars at the carpark when we arrived at 8:30am, so we felt like we picked a good time to start the track, as the walks in Mt Cook can get super packed during the peak season in summer. We had done the Hooker Valley Track (HIGHLY recommend this track) in Mt Cook a few days before and it was crazy busy. We arrived just before 9 to start the Hooker Valley hike earlier in the week and the White Horse Hill carpark was already almost packed!
New Zealand weather can be so unpredictable and I always tell travellers to bring gear for all types of weather because you never know what to expect. The day we did the Tasman Lake Track was a perfect example of this - we arrived in the middle of summer and it was only 4 deg C! Brrrrrrr! We were not expecting this at all! We had done the Red Tarns Track in the scorching heat the same week and now we were experiencing almost freezing conditions... say what?!
Before we did this track, we did the Tasman Glacier View Track, which actually starts at the same trailhead as the Tasman Lake Track for a wee while before the track splits into two. We had warmed up a little by climbing all the stairs getting to the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint, so it was a bit more comfortable heading along the Tasman Lake Track in the sun that was getting higher and warmer by the minute and we were no longer freezing our butts off! The reason we decided to do both of these tracks back-to-back is that they are both short walks and we could get the best of both worlds but doing each of them. The Tasman Glacier View Track (30 mins return) offers views from high above the Tasman Lake and you can see all the way across to the Tasman Glacier (NZ's longest glacier) and you get a great view of any icebergs floating along, plus the track goes past the blue lakes (which are now green). The Tasman Lake Track (50 mins return) takes you down to the lake and jetty (where the glacier explorer boats leave from) and up close with any icebergs that might be hanging out at this end of the lake.
It Was Like Walking Through The Himalayas
The start of the track offers beauuutiful views across the National Park, such as green mountains with rockslides in the valleys, rugged rocky cliffs, the Hooker River and the majestic Southern Alps covered in snow. It's hard to believe that even in summer, the mountains are always covered in snow and that there are icebergs in the lakes!
We're not the biggest fans of flat walks but this track is definitely the exception. We felt like we were walking through the Himalayas in Nepal, or what we imagine it to look like based on photos and videos we've seen. The track is a well-maintained gravel path that is flat up until the last 100 meters or so, down to the shoreline of the lake. The track takes you through some low shrubs before opening out to a rocky landscape with not much else going on around you (aside from the epic views, of course), until you get to the lake.
Once we arrived at the lake, I didn't actually head down to the lake as I was happy taking pictures from higher up, of Lath and the girls, but I definitely would have gone down there if there were a bunch of icebergs. It all depends on which way the wind is going, as to whether there will be any icebergs at this end of the lake or not. The lake is a beautiful milky blue and we saw one iceberg in it at our end which was really cool to see but it was further around, by the mouth of the Tasman River. Next time we will take this little path and go down to the river to see any that are close by. Update: We did visit Mt Cook again in June 2024 and were greeted with the most incredible icebergs, so we went down to the river mouth as well as the jetty so keep reading to see the amazingness!
It's amazing how small the icebergs look until one of the Glacier Explorer boats come up beside one and then you realise the sheer size of them. I'd like to go back in another season when there are a lot more in the lake and hopefully down this end of the lake. We did see a couple of icebergs in the Hooker Lake, when we did the Hooker Valley Track, so that was exciting! We saw loads of icebergs down the other end of the lake where they have broken off the glacier and imagine it would be a pretty amazing boat ride through them all.
I'd asked Lath to run up the hill on the other side, so I could get photos of him with the snowy alps in the background. There was a whole lot of wild arm movements and exaggerated pointing from my side, so I could get Lath to stand where I needed... I guess I needed to show him where to stand before he went over! It reminds me of the same situation we had at the McLean Falls in the Caitlins and I needed him to stand in a certain place but he was so far away that he couldn't hear me (the roar of the waterfall didn't help!). Plus, the clothing situation was the same.... zero colour in his clothes which was hard to see against the rocks.
There were a couple of big groups of people on the track at one point, who were heading to and from the Glacier Explorer boats (which is on our bucketlist) but apart from that, it was a very quiet track with only a few people on it. We enjoyed sitting for a while, taking some photos and the girls even found a humungous boulder that was flat, but on an angle, and they found a lot of joy in sliding down it!
We had done the Tasman Glacier View Track at the same time last year (2023) and this track has a lot of the same views and we noticed how different the landscapes were when we compared photos. In 2023, the area was so much greener with life growing all around and this year (2024) it was a lot browner and dry, which isn't too much of a surprise considering the heat wave we've been having including the lack of rain.
After we did the walk, it was time for our family tradition of going to the Hermitage Hotel for a hot drink and a bite to eat, then off to the NZ Alpine Lavender Farm for some ice cold lavender ice cream - this is just in summer and it was actually still a pretty cold day when we arrived at the lavender farm in the afternoon and I was questioning why I was buying ice cream on such a cold day, brrr! Their ice creams are always worth it though ;)
We're not the biggest fans of flat walks but this track is definitely the exception. We felt like we were walking through the Himalayas in Nepal, or what we imagine it to look like based on photos and videos we've seen. The track is a well-maintained gravel path that is flat up until the last 100 meters or so, down to the shoreline of the lake. The track takes you through some low shrubs before opening out to a rocky landscape with not much else going on around you (aside from the epic views, of course), until you get to the lake.
Once we arrived at the lake, I didn't actually head down to the lake as I was happy taking pictures from higher up, of Lath and the girls, but I definitely would have gone down there if there were a bunch of icebergs. It all depends on which way the wind is going, as to whether there will be any icebergs at this end of the lake or not. The lake is a beautiful milky blue and we saw one iceberg in it at our end which was really cool to see but it was further around, by the mouth of the Tasman River. Next time we will take this little path and go down to the river to see any that are close by. Update: We did visit Mt Cook again in June 2024 and were greeted with the most incredible icebergs, so we went down to the river mouth as well as the jetty so keep reading to see the amazingness!
It's amazing how small the icebergs look until one of the Glacier Explorer boats come up beside one and then you realise the sheer size of them. I'd like to go back in another season when there are a lot more in the lake and hopefully down this end of the lake. We did see a couple of icebergs in the Hooker Lake, when we did the Hooker Valley Track, so that was exciting! We saw loads of icebergs down the other end of the lake where they have broken off the glacier and imagine it would be a pretty amazing boat ride through them all.
I'd asked Lath to run up the hill on the other side, so I could get photos of him with the snowy alps in the background. There was a whole lot of wild arm movements and exaggerated pointing from my side, so I could get Lath to stand where I needed... I guess I needed to show him where to stand before he went over! It reminds me of the same situation we had at the McLean Falls in the Caitlins and I needed him to stand in a certain place but he was so far away that he couldn't hear me (the roar of the waterfall didn't help!). Plus, the clothing situation was the same.... zero colour in his clothes which was hard to see against the rocks.
There were a couple of big groups of people on the track at one point, who were heading to and from the Glacier Explorer boats (which is on our bucketlist) but apart from that, it was a very quiet track with only a few people on it. We enjoyed sitting for a while, taking some photos and the girls even found a humungous boulder that was flat, but on an angle, and they found a lot of joy in sliding down it!
We had done the Tasman Glacier View Track at the same time last year (2023) and this track has a lot of the same views and we noticed how different the landscapes were when we compared photos. In 2023, the area was so much greener with life growing all around and this year (2024) it was a lot browner and dry, which isn't too much of a surprise considering the heat wave we've been having including the lack of rain.
After we did the walk, it was time for our family tradition of going to the Hermitage Hotel for a hot drink and a bite to eat, then off to the NZ Alpine Lavender Farm for some ice cold lavender ice cream - this is just in summer and it was actually still a pretty cold day when we arrived at the lavender farm in the afternoon and I was questioning why I was buying ice cream on such a cold day, brrr! Their ice creams are always worth it though ;)
Jaw-Dropping Views!
One of the best visits to Tasman Lake that we have had was in June 2024. It was at the beginning of winter and when we walked over the ridge and the lake came into view, our jaws literally dropped at the sight of all of the icebergs! It seemed like there were hundreds of them floating on the lake and every iceberg was a different shape and pattern, and some were as big as cars and buses which is hard to believe! The icebergs are carved off the Tasman Glacier which sits at the other end of the lake and depending on which way the wind is going, depends whether or not there will be icebergs, so we were absolutely stoked the wind had blown the bergs to this end of the lake.
I found it really fascinating looking at and photographing all the different icebergs, from different angles and heights and seeing how unique each one was. Some were smooth and blue while others were sharp with black rocks all over them and the reflections were equally as impressive! As the sun went down, the lake became more and more greeny blue
Once we'd have enough (well, I hadn't, I could have camped out there for the week!) it was hard to walk away and leave a view like that behind.
I found it really fascinating looking at and photographing all the different icebergs, from different angles and heights and seeing how unique each one was. Some were smooth and blue while others were sharp with black rocks all over them and the reflections were equally as impressive! As the sun went down, the lake became more and more greeny blue
Once we'd have enough (well, I hadn't, I could have camped out there for the week!) it was hard to walk away and leave a view like that behind.
One Last Stop
We made a quick detour on the way back to the carpark to the jetty, which is a few mins detour off the main path, as Arabella had spotted lots of small icebergs at the jetty in the distance (we could see it from where we had just been) and she wanted to touch them. There were less icebergs here and she indeed get to touch one from the dock! The benefit of less icebergs in this part of the lake was there was more lake to be seen which meant the snowy tops of the alps reflecting on the lake.
On our drive home, we passed by a beautiful waterfall that I had to stop and photograph. This was one of the best days we have experienced on our travels in New Zealand and we were absolutely stoked to have finally seen more than one iceberg in the Tasman Lake!
On our drive home, we passed by a beautiful waterfall that I had to stop and photograph. This was one of the best days we have experienced on our travels in New Zealand and we were absolutely stoked to have finally seen more than one iceberg in the Tasman Lake!
Know Before You Go
- This track shows off the Tasman Glacier, which is covered in dirt and rocks, so don't go expecting one big white piece of ice! It's also in the distance so you won't get to see it up close
- Icebergs are in the Tasman Lake all year round and, depending on the direction of the wind, there may be lots down this end of the lake
- The track is 2.6km return takes just under 1 hour to get to the jetty or the river mouth (pretty much the same distance to both). It's flat the whole way until the end where there is a small hill that takes you down to the shoreline of the lake or river mouth.
- There are public toilets at the carpark but they closed in the winter due to the pipes freezing, so you'll need to use the ones in the village
- This track is best done on a clear so you can see the entire view surrounding you and across to the Tasman Glacier
- There may be snow on the track in winter
- Swimming in the lake isn't advised, it's freezing!
- Don't ever hop on any icebergs as they can turn over at any time
- Falling ice from the glacier can cause surge waves in the lake
- The track down to the river mouth is steep but totally doable, just need to have good shoes on
How To Get To The Tasman Lake Track In Mt Cook National Park
The Tasman Lake Track is in the Mt Cook National Park in Canterbury, New Zealand. The track starts at the Tasman Glacier carpark, which is just 12-mintes from the Hermitage Hotel in Mt Cook Village. There is a designated parking area and room for campers as well.
Click here for the location of the Tasman Glacier carpark on Google Maps.
Click here for the location of the Tasman Glacier carpark on Google Maps.
Conclusion
This is a fantastic walk in the Mt Cook National Park, with incredible views that will blow you away and a pretty lake filled with icebergs. This track gives you the opportunity to walk amongst giants (the Southern Alps) and see Tasman Glacier, New Zealand's longest glacier. It takes just under an hour return which is a nice short walk for families and we loved how it was such a short walk to get to incredible views within a short space of time. If you're wanting to do the Hooker Valley Track but are short on time, then this track is the perfect alternative!
Gallery of the Tasman Lake Track
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to do in New Zealand
HOKITIKA BEACH
WEST COAST A popular beach on the West Coast where you can find greenstone, make driftwood huts and even see seals!
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RED TARNS TRACK
CANTERBURY The mountain of stairs up to the red tarns are well worth it for the views of Mt Cook and the Southern Alps - prepared to be wowed!
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HOOKER VALLEY TRACK
CANTERBURY One of the most popular & scenic hikes in NZ. This 3 hour track has incredible views of Mt Cook as well as icebergs in the lake!
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