For anyone exploring the South Island of New Zealand, you should add the Mt. Cook Aoraki /National Park to your list of things to experience. There’s no end to the scenic views in the South and the drive to the park provides plenty. The Whitehorse Hill Campground where we would park for the night, is a four-hour drive from Christ Church. This easily turned into five or six as we made several stops along the way including lakes Tekapo and Pukaki, (the bluest lakes we’d ever seen). The campground is run by the Department of Conservation and at 15 dollars per person per night, we found that to be very reasonable. The very basic amenities included toilets, communal kitchen, picnic tables, sites for tent camping and plenty of space for campervans and RV’s. There are no powered sites so a good sleeping bag or a campervan with a heater is the way to go. We’d been travelling by campervan which is a great option since the distances are long but scenic, and hotels are scarce in some areas. There are tons of privately owned campsites (Holiday parks as they’re called in New Zealand) that you can pre book and park for the night. The facilities, with powered sites, are usually well equipped with kitchens, BBQ grilling areas, bathrooms, hot showers and kids’ play areas. Wi-Fi was always available, mostly free, but not always reliable.

There were lots of black swans in Lake Tekapo.

Arrival at campground just before dusk.

The campground is situated in a valley surrounded by mountain ranges where the very impressive Mount Sefton with its glacier can be seen. There are a wide range of hiking trails in the area, some can be done in 2 to 3 days or in just a couple of hours. We decided to do the Hooker Valley Track. This is a 10 km return trek that includes three suspension bridge crossings, glacial lakes and rivers. This moderate to easy hike is very popular and takes about three hours. There was so much to see in the short amount of time so definitely worth it. We were excited despite the cold morning start.

We crossed the first suspension bridge as the cold waters of the Hooker River with its bluish hue rushed by beneath us. On our way to the second bridge crossing, we saw giant boulders and rocks of varying colours and textures.

Wildflowers, ferns, alpine grasses and mosses added to the already visually interesting scene.

There were several interesting rocks along the way.

The second bridge crossing would take us deeper into the widening valley floor where you are enveloped by the vastness of the breathtaking scenery that surrounds you. Evidence of glaciers that filled the valley a hundred years ago can be seen by the presence of boulders, rocks and sediment.

The thicker vegetation we saw at the beginning of the hike has now given way to more grasses and shrubs in the open valley.

A third bridge crossing was necessary as we made our way to the Hooker Lake. Here at the end of the track, we could view the Hooker glacier, Mt Cook (Aoraki) and part of the Southern Alps. The total elevation gain is 120 meters (400ft), for this relatively flat, mostly gravel track. There are steps and wooden walkways in some areas.

As we made our return, the weather had begun to warm, quite a change from the morning start when there was frost on the ground. We took a short detour to check out the Alpine Memorial, dedicated to the hikers and mountaineers who had perished in the region over the years. The memorial can be reached early in the hike. There’s a small spur that veers off to the left about 400 metres from the trailhead. We opted to do it towards the end.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time vanning through New Zealand, especially the South Island and highly recommend doing it this way. The Whitehorse Hill Campground was especially interesting to me as they operate on an honour system. Bookings can be done online and are first come, first served. You may show up without a reservation and if there’s space available, even though there may be no attendant at the registration area, you can fill out a form with your information, vehicle number etc. and place it along with the fee in the provided lock box. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? Keep following, more from our New Zealand trip to come.