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nico2019-10-17 04:51:082019-11-15 03:14:35Motukiekie beach Photography guide
Mount Cook village is definitely a stop to add on your way from Christchurch to Queenstown. The views it offers over New Zealand’s highest summit are some of the best I know. In this Photography guide of Mount Cook, I’ll go over the different spots that offer great photo opportunities in the area, where to stay if you intend to spend more than one day there (which you should!), when to go, how to get there… Basicaly everything I wish I had known before going there the first time….
How to get there
There is only one way to access Mount Cook village and it is driving… Actually, there is only one road that access to village and it does not go further. Once you are at the village, you are at the end of the road… literally!
If you have a car, you will have no problem to get there, the road is in really good condition.
If you don’t have a car and don’t feel comfortable with hitchhiking, you can take the bus and once again you will not spend a lot of time looking at the different options as there is only one bus going from Christchurch to Mount Cook! If you are coming from South, there is also a bus going from Queenstown to Mount cook. Both are run by Intercity. That’s New Zealand for you: simple and easy!
Where to shoot?
1
2
3
4
5
1
Hooker lake
2
Mueller hut
3
Plateau Hut
4
Peter’s lookout
5
Scenic flight
So you’ve just arrived and you are wondering where to start? Well, you are in luck because there are plenty of locations to shoot from in this area! I will go over my favourite spots and you’ll see that there is some choice depending if you are adventurous or not. Some are better at sunrise, other work better at sunset but generally in this area there is a common rule: if you want to get some red glow on the summits you will have to wake up for sunrise as most of those locations are facing East. This is no big deal if you are not an early bird though. As I said, most of those locations will also work at sunset too.
1- Hooker Lake
This first location is a very famous one which means you can expect meeting a lot of people… Having said that, if you go for sunrise or sunset, you will most likely be alone shooting there. Therefore, I definitely recommend you to go there at those period of the day. If you want to have reflections on the lake, I suggest you go for sunrise as it tend to get quite windy during the day and it is very rare to get good reflections at sunset.
The walk there will take you about 1h and starts from Whitehorse car park. The track is fairly easy so I wouldn’t be concerned about going there at night, just make sure you take a head torch and some warm clothes if you go for sunrise.
There are also a lot of photography options on the way with rivers, hanging bridges and view on the surrounding summits like Mt Sefton. They will make your way back to the car park longer than expected, I can promise you that!
2- Mueller hut and Mount Ollivier
If you are in for a bit of a challenge, I strongly recommend to go for a walk to Mueller hut. It is a steep climb to get there but the views from the hut are simply incredible for sunrise and sunset. It will take you about 4-5h to get there. On the way up, you can stop at silly tarns which offers a great lunch half way to the top. This is also a great place if you want to catch sunrise.
If you go through the effort of going all the way up to Mueller hut, you should continue to sweat for 15mn more and climb up to Mount Ollivier which is right behind the hut. It is not a technical climb and nothing beats the feeling of ticking of a summit before a cold beer at the hut…
If you want to spend the night in the hut (which you should definitely do), the booking is at the DOC center in the village. It can not be booked in advance and you will have to show up there as there is no online booking service.
3- Plateau hut
Plateau hut has been on my list for a long time and I was lucky to be able to tick that one of my list for my birthday! To get there can be a bit of a challenge though as it involves a long a dangerous glacier traverse that I don’t recommend, only if you are an experienced mountaineer.
If you are not a mountaineer, you can go up there with Heliwork , a local company based in Mt Cook village. The flight there will provide you with outstanding view on the Tasman valley, Mount Cook’s caroline face and the guts dropping Hochstetter glacier. A word of advice though: the hut is on mountain terrain and you should only attempt to go there if you know how to assess mountain risks and have proper gears (read: crampons, ice axe, warm close, extra food…).
4- Peter’s lookout
Probably one of the best locations if you are looking for one of those shots using the road as a leading line to Mount Cook. This place offers great views on the emerald blue lake Pukaki and it is safer to stop here than on any other place on the road to Mount Cook.
I would probably choose that location for sunset as there is no real good options for morning reflections there. This also the perfect place to stop if you are late for sunset and think you will not be able to make it to the village in time.
5- Scenic flight
This last option is not really a location as covers a lot of them. Scenic flights will usually cover lake Pukaki, Mount Cook, the Tasman glacier and can go up to lake Tekapo depending the options you choose. I recommend to go for a sunrise trip as you will have an easier time shooting the mountain range with the sun in your back (which will also mean reflections on the plain windows but you can’t have everything right?).
There are several companies operating in the area. I have flown with Heliworks, Mt Cook Ski Planes and Air Safaris , they are all really good and prices are quite similar. My heart is going to Heliwork but I am being subjective…
Weather in Mount Cook and when to go?
I wish I could tell you that there is a definite season when you are the most likely to get good weather in Mount Cook but that is not the case. There’s pretty much a 50/50 chance to get rain all year long…
So my advice to you: take your raincoat and check the weather forecast:
http://www.metservice.com/towns-cities/mount-cook
Now, this doesn’t mean that there is not a better period of the year for photography and for me it is middle of winter (August-September) and spring (November-December). Those periods tend to be a bit less touristic than in summer and I like to see Mt Cook covered in snow…
Where to stay?
There are not that many options to stay in Mt Cook village. Actually, I would say that there is three options to stay depending on your budget…
The cheap option
The cheapest option, if you have a tent or a van, is to stay at the White horse hill campsite. It will cost you NZD13 per night and it is not powered but if you have the DOC/NZMCA Campsite Pass it is free.
You can get more info on the DOC website: White Horse Hill Campsite
The hostel option
If you don’t want to sleep in a tent and want to indulge yourself with breath taking views on the Tasman valley, you probably want to stay at the Unwin Lodge. It is an alpine club accommodation but you can stay there even if you are not a member. Forget about the other hostels in the village a just go there, you wont regret. I promise!
The expensive option
Sharing a bedroom with 7 snoring mountaineers is not for you? Fair enough. Your last option is the Hermitage or the Motel in the village that propose individual rooms.
And I have to admit, views from over there are also really good…
About me
Hey you!
I’m Nico, a french-kiwi photographer based in Canada (yep, that’s a lot of countries in just one sentence!). I specialise in landscape photography and getting wet feet every time I attempt river crossings… Actually, I have a motto that says that the earlier you get your feet wet, the earlier you can move on and focus on enjoying your hike!
With those articles, my aim is to put in one place all the knowledge I have acquired while visiting those locations. It is not uncommon for me to visit a place several times until I get the conditions I am looking for (often more than once… way more!). As a result, I have acquired an extensive knowledge of those places that I am trying to share here. If you are a photographer, you will find a lot of useful informations on what to expect there but I am pretty sure that if you are just planning on visiting the same places, you will also get something out of it!
Oh, and a word of advice: I have a passion for planning and maps are a huge part of it, so don’t be surprised if you find a lot of them in my articles!
Let me know if you have any questions!
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