Mount Cook accommodation from AU$100

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is a natural playground waiting to be explored and a wonderful place to be in winter. If it's not already on there, make sure that you add skiing on the Tasman Glacier to your bucket list. This is one of New Zealand's longest ski runs (12km) and arguably its most beautiful. The glacier is suitable for intermediate and advanced skiers, and along the way you'll visit ice caves and glacial canyons, and peer into deep icy crevasses. If you're an advanced skier and looking for a bit more of a challenge, you might enjoy heli-skiing, where a helicopter drops you off at the top of some of the steepest ski runs in the country. If the thought of hurtling down steep slopes on skis makes your knees wobble, you might be more interested in a heli-hiking tour, where a guide will take you to the most beautiful and fascinating parts of the icy mountain.

How about leaving the skis behind for a day and going kayaking 750 metres above sea level? Head out for a fun afternoon on the waters of the Tasman Glacier Lake or the Mueller Glacier Lake and expect to paddle around icebergs with mighty Mount Cook as your backdrop!

Mount Cook is a star attraction in itself, but it's also one of the best places on earth for stargazing, as it's part of a unique area which is almost completely free of light pollution at night, and is protected as the largest International Dark Sky Reserve. While you're here, you'll enjoy gazing at the Southern Lights. If you'd like to see as many as 50 million stars in one night, you can head to the Mount John Observatory, just near Lake Tekapo, which is about an hour from Mount Cook. If you're not planning on spending all night at the observatory, you can lay your head down at one of these Tekapo hotels and then, in the morning, take a dip in one of the hot pools at the Tekapo Springs before heading back for more extreme action on Mount Cook.

Getting Here

Mount Cook is midway between Christchurch and Queenstown, both of which are about two and half hours away. If you'd like to explore Christchurch, check out these cheap flights. Otherwise, jump aboard one of these affordable flights to Queenstown. If you're not confident driving around the mountain terrain of the Southern Alps in a hire car, there are quite a few tour companies that offer affordable shuttle services and coach bus trips up to the ski slopes and main attractions, so you won't have any trouble getting around.

To start enjoying this winter wonderland, don't forget to book your flights and Mount Cook accommodation with us today.