Parking
Start at the Mt Cook Village public shelter on Bowen Drive; a small car park and toilets are beside this trailhead.
Overview
About Governors Bush Walk
Why go
- A rare silver beech stand on a short loop
- Wakefield Ridge opens to Aoraki and valley views
Heads up
- A stepped climb packs work into a short walk
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Aoraki / Mount Cook map
Full mapElevation726–841 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Aoraki / Mount Cook alerts
- CautionBall Hut Track: impassable gorge at Husky FlatThe Ball Hut Track is severely affected at Husky Flat; beyond the gorge there is no marked route. - A severe weather event significantly damaged the track and created a large, impassable gorge.Official details
- CautionHooker Valley Track: 20-person bridge limitNo more than 20 people may be on the first Hooker Valley Track suspension bridge at one time. DOC is enforcing the limit because cable wear has been identified on the 47-year-old structure.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Aoraki / Mount Cook Tour Guide
Your drive to Governors Bush Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Red Tarns from Bowen Drive0:00 / 0:24
“You're nearing the public shelter on Bowen Drive, the start of the Red Tarns walk.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Aoraki / Mount Cook Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Village Petrol Pumps and Bowen Bush Walk
- Chamois Bar & Grill at Mt Cook Lodge
- Visitor Centre and Old Mountaineers’ Café
- The Hermitage and Hillary’s Alpine Centre
- 24 audio storiesacross Aoraki / Mount Cook’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Rockwren, New Zealand Falcon, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 15 trails, 30 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Governors Bush Walk
A short loop with a real climbGovernors Bush Walk is a 1.
Governors Bush Walk is a 1.01-mile loop from the Mt Cook Village public shelter through one of the park’s few stands of silver beech, up to Wakefield Ridge, and back to the village. Allow about an hour. The full mapped loop is about 1.6 km; another published figure is 1.2 km, so plan for the longer line. It’s a good way to trade the village’s open alpine setting for a sheltered forest walk without giving up a mountain outlook.
Up to Wakefield Ridge and backThe gravel path climbs gradually through the bush, with plenty of timber-edged steps on steeper…
The gravel path climbs gradually through the bush, with plenty of timber-edged steps on steeper sections. At Wakefield Ridge the trees open for a look toward Aoraki / Mount Cook and the surrounding ranges. The loop descends on a different forest leg toward the Red Tarns junction, then returns to the village. Keep toward the village at that junction; following Red Tarns adds a separate, longer hike.
A rare patch of silver beechTawai or tawhai, the local silver beech, grows in one of the park’s few forest stands here.
Tawai or tawhai, the local silver beech, grows in one of the park’s few forest stands here. Plant labels make this a nice walk to take slowly, and birdlife is part of the appeal. The leafy understory and shade feel a world away from the open alpine slopes around the village.
Start and footingBegin at the public shelter in Mt Cook Village, where there’s a small car park and toilets.
Begin at the public shelter in Mt Cook Village, where there’s a small car park and toilets. Dogs aren’t allowed. The stepped gravel track can be slippery when wet. At the ridge, keep a little of the beech canopy in the bottom of a photo; it shows the sheltered forest against the mountain view.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Aoraki /
139 sightingsKeaMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
74 sightingsRockwrenMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
46 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
15 sightingsKererūMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
16 sightingsBellbirdMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
33 sightingsBlack-fronted TernMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Aoraki / Mount Cook. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
