The Hermitage Hotel

The Hermitage is a large hotel and visitor hub in Mount Cook Village, inside Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. Stay here for the alpine setting and a convenient base between valley walks, glacier trips, stargazing and guided outings. The complex also has several dining venues and the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. It feels more like a busy tour hub than a secluded lodge, and the hotel’s strongest draw is its location and services. If you are booking for an Aoraki view, choose a room explicitly sold with a Mount Cook view: some standard rooms face Mount Sefton or the Tasman Valley, and some look over the car park.

The dining choices range from café fare, sandwiches, salads, pies and cabinet sweets to buffet meals at the Alpine Restaurant and a three-course dinner at Panorama Room. It’s handy to have several options in one place, but venues and hours vary by season and some meals need a reservation. Check what’s operating before you plan around a particular restaurant.

The small on-site shop sells outdoor clothing, souvenirs and a limited selection of snacks and drinks; it isn’t a full grocery stop. The operator says it is the village’s only shop, with the nearest general shop 66 km away in Twizel, so pick up groceries before the drive. Free parking is for hotel and Lodge guests and is subject to availability. The hotel does not offer EV charging; the operator points guests to limited charging at the DOC Visitor Centre car park, so check availability and arrive charged. Pets are not allowed in the national park.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre is housed in the hotel and combines a regional museum, Hillary Gallery, climbing and transport exhibits, and a theatre/planetarium. On its deck, a statue of Hillary is based on a photograph taken after his 1970 Grand Traverse of Aoraki/Mount Cook’s three peaks; Hillary unveiled it in 2003. It’s an easy indoor visit to pair with a meal or a day in the village.

The first Hermitage was a small cob accommodation house built at White Horse Hill in 1884 by ranger Frank Huddleston, as concern grew that grazing and burning would damage native vegetation. A company bought the property the next year, hoping to establish a Swiss-style alpine village; in those early years, the coach journey from Timaru via Fairlie Creek (now Fairlie) took three days. The second hotel opened in 1914 and was destroyed by fire in 1957. The present hotel was operating at its village site by May 1958.