#7 of 15 trails in Aoraki / Mount Cook
Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, SI
Walk old moraine to a lake born in 1974
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Aoraki / Mount Cook Tour Guide
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
Tasman Glacier View and the Green Blue Lakes“Up ahead is the Tasman Valley car park, the start for a broad view across Tasman Lake to the glacier.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Aoraki / Mount Cook Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Tasman Lake and River Track is an out-and-back from the Blue Lakes car park at the end of Tasman Valley Road to a viewpoint over the terminal lake below Haupapa / Tasman Glacier. The Department of Conservation lists 2.6 km return and about 50 minutes; a cross-reference gives 2.5 km. The route line follows the named lake-track path to the lake. DOC also describes a further right-hand branch toward the source of the Tasman River, but its line and whether it is included in those distances are unclear. Check the signs at the fork and allow extra time if you take it.
The route climbs gradually over old moraine, with rock steps underfoot. It’s short, but it isn’t a smooth stroll. DOC calls it an easy-to-intermediate walking track and estimates about 50 minutes return. Its current page reports an elevation change of 86 m, while the park brochure says no gain; the mapped terrain profile is gentler than that figure. Plan for a steady, stepped walk rather than counting on an exact climb.
The grey moraine ridges are the old edge of Haupapa / Tasman Glacier. Tasman Lake began forming in 1974, and those ridges mark where the glacier ended as the lake took shape. It’s a striking place to see plant succession on recently exposed ground, with New Zealand’s longest glacier at the head of the valley.
At the viewpoint, keep some of the rough moraine in the foreground if you’re taking a photo; it helps show the scale of the lake and glacier.
Icebergs are usually visible in summer, and the lake freezes in winter. Stay out of the cold water and off the ice; icebergs can tip without warning. Snow, freezing temperatures and strong winds are possible here year-round, and DOC warns that conditions can change quickly.
Turn off SH80 onto Tasman Valley Road and follow it about 7 km to the end-of-road Blue Lakes / Tasman Valley car park. It gets very busy during the November–April summer season, and overflow parking may be along the road. There are picnic tables, a day shelter and seasonal toilets, but no drinking water or mobile coverage.
Wildlife
139 sightingsKeaMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
73 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.
Keep exploring
ModerateTasman Glacier View Track1.5 km · 45 min · At the trailheadA short, steep climb to Tasman Lake, glacier, and peak views.
ChallengingBall Hut Track19.2 km · 7 hr · At the trailheadA rough moraine traverse to a tiny hut below Tasman Glacier.
ModerateBlue Lakes Track1 km · 30 min · At the trailheadA short detour to the rain-fed green alpine lake.
ModerateHooker Hut Track8.7 km · 4 hr · 6.1 km awayA restored 1910 mountaineering hut at the end of an alpine walk.
EasyAlps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail: White Horse Hill to Mount Cook Airport8 km · 2.3 hr · 6.1 km awayA gentle Tasman Valley descent, with the Alps behind you.
ChallengingMueller Hut Route10.4 km · 8 hr · 6.1 km awayA steep climb to a red hut above glaciers and ice cliffs.
ChallengingSealy Tarns Track5.3 km · 3.5 hr · 6.1 km awayA steep stair climb to small tarns and a wide alpine panorama
ModerateHooker Valley Track10 km · 3.5 hr · 6.1 km awayThree swing bridges lead to a glacier lake beneath Aoraki.
Sight · 0.4 km awayBlue LakesSmall green pools on a side trip off the Tasman Glacier track.
Sight · 0.5 km awayTasman Glacier ViewA big lake-and-glacier panorama after 300 steep steps.Sight · 0.8 km awayTasman Lake ViewpointIcebergs drift below the glacier; the lake freezes over in winter.
Sight · 5 km awayHooker LakeIcebergs float below Aoraki at the end of a classic valley walk.
Sight · 5.2 km awayKakīroa / Mount Sefton View LookoutMueller Lake, its glacier and Mount Sefton meet in one view.
Sight · 5.3 km awayMueller LookoutA quick lake-and-glacier view before the first swing bridge.
Lodging · 5.6 km awayHooker HutA restored 1910 hut where Hooker Valley mountaineering history lives.
Sight · 5.7 km awayAlpine MemorialA cairn remembers the climbers lost on the Linda Glacier.Parkwolf’s Aoraki / Mount Cook ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
