Kea Point

Kea Point is a high alpine lookout on a viewing deck above the Mueller Glacier moraine. The close view of Mueller Glacier lake, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Mount Sefton and The Footstool makes this a rewarding stop if you want to get into the mountain scenery without committing to a long day walk.

For the shorter outing, start at White Horse Hill Campground at the end of Hooker Valley Road; DOC estimates about an hour return. Starting by the Visitor Centre on Terrace Road makes it about two hours return. The track winds up through grassland and low alpine scrub. Visitors describe a small final rise and some loose stones near the deck, so expect more than a level stroll.

From the deck, look across the milky lake and moraine toward Aoraki, with Mount Sefton and The Footstool framing the valley. This is the best place to make the lake part of your mountain photo; you have to walk to the deck for that view. Cloud can hide Aoraki's summit, but the lake and surrounding peaks still give you plenty to look at.

In 1913, a stream cut through from the glacier to the original Hermitage site and damaged the building. The event reshaped the terrain around the moraine and gives this view a human story as well as a glacial one.

White Horse Hill has public toilets, and its car park can fill at peak times; even an annual parking permit doesn't reserve a space. There is no shop at the lookout, so pick up snacks before you leave the village. Dogs aren't allowed on the track. The route is walked year-round, but ice or snow can make winter footing tricky, and alpine weather changes quickly.