Tasman Glacier View Track

A 30-MINUTE HIKE WITH A MILLION DOLLAR VIEW

19 JANUARY 2023
Updated: 17 January 2024

The blue lakes (no, it's not a typo!)

Sockless And Speechless

Are you ready for a hike that will knock your socks off? Well, put your socks back on, because the Tasman Glacier View Track at the Mount Cook National Park is a short and sweet 30-minute return walk... just kidding, socks are coming off, it's incredible!

We have done this hike twice now (in 2023 and 2024) and I think we will do it every time we go to Mt Cook! The difference between the two times was the temperature... both in January but the first time we did it in 2023 it was SUPER hot and then in 2024 it was only 4 deg C and SO cold!! You need to be prepared for all temps at Mt Cook, even in summer. Goes for the whole of New Zealand really... the weather is so unpredictable and can be freezing cold one day and boiling hot the next.

Don't let the short distance fool you, the views from the top are absolutely AMAZING! You'll be able to see icebergs floating in the lake, even during the summer months. The amazing thing about the walks and hikes in the Mount Cook National Park is that you don't have to walk for hours or days to be rewarded with the most incredible views.

The real star of the show is the Tasman Glacier itself. This massive sheet of ice stretches for 23.5 kilometers and is over 600 meters (2,000 feet) thick in some places and 2kms wide! The glacier isn't just a pretty face, it's also a bit of a diva. It's been shrinking at an alarming rate, and some scientists predict that it will be gone in just a few decades. If you're feeling extra adventurous, you can even add on a helicopter ride to land on the Tasman Glacier itself with one of the local heli companies.

The road out to the Tasman Glacier View Track

Driving in the National Park is something special!

The road is surrounded by insane beauty

A beautiful waterfall on the road to the Tasman Glacier View Track

The shelter and toilets at the beginning of the track

Stairs. Just Stairs.

The track is well maintained and it only takes 15-minutes to reach the top but be warned, it can take twice the amount of time with a grumpy kid in tow!! It's completely exposed as there is no forest or bush to walk in and there are stairs pretty much the whole way up. There are a couple of sidetracks to walk on if you don't want to do the stairs, but I enjoyed the workout, so I stuck to the stairs.

It was so hot by the time we had done the Kea Point Track and got to the Tasman Glacier View Track and Bella was feeling pretty grumpy by this point (a little hangry also) so it was a mission to get to the top and took a little bit longer. This is the reality of doing walks and hikes with kids and quite frankly, being human! We all have our off days or times we don't think we can do something, but we made it to the top together and that's what's important.

Honestly, even I wasn't the most excited about the walk when I saw the amount of stairs and felt the hot sun beating down on me. But we knew it was just a short walk to the top and there was a nice breeze about and of course the promise of ice cream was aaaalways in the back of our minds and on the tip of our tongues. We could see the top of the track pretty much the whole way, so we had our beady little eyes focused on that and moving on up.

Never Forget Parenting 101

You wouldn't believe it, but when we got to the top the complaints turned to excitement because Bella had spotted the icebergs floating in the lake. Man oh man, why did we forget there were icebergs and therefor forget to tell her so she would have something to look forward to?! Parenting 101!

We were definitely wowed when we reached the top and saw the view! There were a few boats speeding around the lake, taking people to and from the icebergs - what a cool experience that would be! The boats looked sooooo tiny in the lake, we didn't know what they were at first. It's amazing that the icebergs weren't melting before our eyes, in the intense heat we were experiencing this summer. The icebergs were mainly to the left side where the glacier was, but it was nice to see a couple closer up just to the right. Bella wanted to head down the cliff to get a closer look and that would have been awesome if we had more time in the day. I would love to do the boat tour around the icebergs, that would be pretty fascinating. We finally did the Tasman Lake Track in the summer of 2024 and it's an INCREDIBLE track and well worth it!

We could see the Tasman Glacier in the distance, a white sheet hiding behind the mountains but from the view point you're really far away from it, so I zoomed in with my long lense on my Canon so I could see it in more detail.

The water in the lake is grey from the glacial meltwater that has large amounts of glacial flour (ground up rock) in it. You'll find grey coloured lakes like this closer to glaciers. Lake Tekapo, one of the National Park's neighbours, is fed by glacial meltwater and the glacial flour has settled, but fine particles of rock are still suspended in the lake which give it the turquoise colour.

There were a few people were at the top when we arrived and although it's not the biggest area to chill on, it's still very peaceful and everyone is quiet and enjoys the views. Well, they were will the complaints started up again and ice cream was on Bella's mind!

Bella has eagle eyes and she managed to spot one of the swing bridges on the Hooker Valley Track, across the other side of the lake. She has a pretty incredible memory as it has been almost 2 years since we did the track!

The lake colour in 2023

The lake colour in 2024 - it can change colour from day to day

The Tasman Glacier

Icebergs from the Tasman Glacier

Great choice of rock for a relax

What a cracker day for a scenic flight!

But The Blue Lakes Are Green?

It was hard to leave such an incredible view, we could have stayed up there all day! Luckily, the way back down is just as beautiful as the way up. You get views across the National Park and you're surrounded by mountains which completely dwarf you and make you feel so insignificant.

On the track, there is a viewpoint for the blue lakes. PLOT TWIST - they're actually green! They got their name in the mid-1800s and were known for their icy blue water that was a result of glacial meltwater filtering through the moraine. The lakes were a popular spot for swimming in summer and ice skating in winter. As the Tasman Glacier shrunk in length and height, it meant the water that the glacier water feeding the lakes stopped flowing into them and now the water is purely from the rain. Because of this, the lakes are full of green algae from the warmer rainwater and are no longer blue. There are now native fish like Koaro living in the lakes which weren't there when the lakes were blue as the water was too chilly for them.

Looking across to the blue lakes (seriously, they should just change the name!)

Views across the Mount Cook National Park

There is so much scree on the mountains in the National Park

These two are the cutest

Copper butterfly

Incy Wincy spider and his 3000 siblings have left the building

It Would Have Been A Crime Not To

It would have been a crime just to drive by without getting another deeeelicious lavender ice cream right? Right?? Validate meeeee! The lavender farm was on the main road on our way home to Tekapo, so we stopped in to try some new flavours. The girls got a chocolate and lavender ice cream and Lath and I got a vanilla, honey and bee pollen ice cream. It was soooo delic and one of the best ice creams we've had!

We absolutely love the ice cream at the New Zealand Alpine Lavender Farm and whenever we visit Lake Pukaki or the Mt Cook National Park, we always stop in for one of their yummy ice creams (between December and March, that is).

Read our full blog on the NZ Alpine Lavender Farm.

Vanilla, honey and bee pollen ice cream (YUM!)

Sienna enjoying her ice cream on our very first visit to the farm

Know Before You Go

The track is fully exposed and can get hot in summer
In winter, the road may be closed so be sure to check before you go
The track takes 30-minutes to complete
Bring a camera!
The track is mainly stairs the whole way up (and down, obvs)
There is plenty of parking at the carpark
There is a shelter building at the trailhead
There are toilets at the trailhead

Mappy McMap Face

Getting There

If you're starting from Tekapo, it will take around 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach the village. If you're coming from Christchurch it will take 3.5 hours or 2 hours from Queenstown.

Once you're in the National Park on State Highway, turn right into Tasman Valley Road and keep driving until you reach the carpark. From there, the track is clearly signposted and easy to find.

Conclusion

Not only will you get a great workout climbing the stairs on this track, but you'll be rewarded with some of the most incredible views you'll ever lay your eyes on. From the top, you'll be able to see icebergs floating in the lake, even during the summer months, and the real star of the show - the Tasman Glacier. So put on your hiking shoes, grab your camera, and get ready to knock your socks off (just make sure to put them back on before you start going back down the stairs... you don't want to get blisters). It's a great short walk in the Mount Cook National Park and a walk the whole family will enjoy.