Kia ora! Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to have the MOST incredible family trip to New Zealand’s South Island, and I’m excited to share all the incredible adventures that we had along the way. Over the next few blog posts, I’ll be diving into everything you absolutely must have on your New Zealand bucket list. Read the previous blog post here. For a bit of context: my brother lives in NZ, so my mum and I travelled over for a family holiday with him. It was packed with hikes, swims, and endless mountain views. This trip marked my second time in this stunning country (after exploring the North Island in December 2022 with my Mum and Dad and brother), and I was beyond excited to come back. Trust me, there’s so much to see and do in New Zealand, I hope this blog helps inspire anyone looking to plan their own trip.

After leaving Wanaka, we headed to Mount Cook Village. This is one of my more memorable parts of the trip, I absolutely adored this National Park.

Upon arriving, you can see mountains galore, and we had the most awesome mountain views of Mount Cook/Aoraki.

Mount Cook Village Visitor Centre

Our first stop was a visit to the information centre which informed us of the history of the mountain and the first ascent of the mountain in 1984, and the first woman to climb the mountain in 1910. Learning the history of the failed attempts and the brutal weather conditions really put into perspective just how MASSIVE Mount Cook is.

We were treated to the most fantastic weather whilst we were here, and we sat on the balcony of a nearby café for a relaxing drink, where we soaked up the sun and views.

Tasman Lake

Before bed, we went on short walk to Tasman lake where we took in some more mountain views.

Unable to resist an opportunity for a swim – especially when it’s a cold one – I had my first dip in the national park. With icebergs in the distance in the lake, I can confirm that the water was cold. The icebergs are a result of ice falling from the glacier in the Hooker Valley.

Post walk and swim, we headed to our hostel. We stayed in Irwin Lodge, which also had fab views of Mount Cook in all its glory. It felt like we were literally sleeping in the mountains somewhere remote (despite being within the village).

Hooker Valley

This was one of my favourite walks from the whole trip.

Its a popular (and busy) trail, but I can totally appreciate why. You totally want to make sure is on your New Zealand itinerary!

The trail follows the Hooker river and was a 3 hour there and back trip (11km).

The views of Mount Cook (New Zealand’s biggest mountain) and equally impressive surrounding mountains and valley were just astounding. Who knew the views could keep on getting better during this trip!

I didn’t know that swimming to an iceberg was something I’d wanted to do, but it was an experience and a true highlight of my time in New Zealand. I have to admit, the DANGER signs about how cold the water was going to be did make me a little nervous, but becoming a regular and experienced cold water dipper I listened to my body and really enjoyed this chilly dip (it wasn’t as cold as I was expecting it to be — note to self: invest in a thermometer). One of the coolest (pun not intended) experiences ever.

If you are reading this and fancy a dip here, please make sure you know your limits with cold water and the risk of cold water shock and hypothermia. If you are unsure, please don’t swim, maybe just dip your toes!

I was super gutted to be leaving Mount Cook so soon. The mountains were just something else. I will certainly be returning here one day. But, the South Island still had a busy itinerary to continue with and only a couple of days left, so off we went, heading back towards Picton.