RAARUP ADVENTURES
  • Home
  • Bucket List
  • Destinations
    • Asia
    • Australia & Oceania
    • Europe
    • North America >
      • Alaska
      • Hawaii
      • East Coast USA
      • Midwest USA
      • National Parks USA
  • Work With Us

How to Get to Mount Cook National Park [BEST Places to Stop]

6/11/2023

Comments

 
Mount Cook National Park is a national park on the South Island of New Zealand. In addition to being home to New Zealand's tallest mountain, it is also one of New Zealand's top tourist attractions with over 1 million visitors each year! If you're interested in visiting, then we highly recommend you check out our complete guide for first time visitors or this guide on what to do in a one day visit! Most visitors to the park will choose to take a tour, however we recommend driving for the full experience! From Queenstown this will take about 3 hours each way, from Christchurch about 4 hours, without stops.
Picture
Picture
Our Essential Travel Resources :
​There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. These are our favorite websites and resources to help you plan an incredible trip.

For flights, we recommend using WayAway or Hopper to compare the cheapest dates to travel to your destination.

Car rentals comparisons are best through Discover Cars - just make sure to bring your international driver's permit with you if you're heading somewhere international!

We always use AGODA for hotels. They have an easy-to-use platform where you can compare the best rates.

To keep cell phone service if you're traveling internationally, we always use Airalo’s 
easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required), and always use NordVPN to stay safe while connecting to different wifi connections.

For fun things to do, we always recommend Viator to find the best tours in the area, otherwise Klook also does the trick, especially for tours in Asia.

Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use for travel insurance.

Lastly, my packing list for your international or domestic travels.
Picture

Best Ways to Get to Mt. Cook National Park

Picture
Located about 171 miles northeast of Queenstown, on the South Island of New Zealand, the drive to Mt. Cook National Park takes about 3 hours, that is - without any stops. If you plan to rent a car and make the drive yourself like we did, then of course we always recommend booking through Turo. If you plan to make the drive from Christchurch then it'll be about 2.5 hours. If you aren't able to get yourself a car or you aren't comfortable driving (they drive on the left), then you have a couple of options on how to get there :
  • Fly - Although this might be the most expensive option, it'll cut your transport time down to a single hour. If you're interested, you'll have lots of options from scenic flights of the National Park, to flights that include Milford Sound, to flights that simply bring you to the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. We recommend looking into Glenorchy Air or Air Milford.
  • Public Bus - Going from shortest transport time to the longest, a public bus ride can get you from Queenstown to Mt. Cook in about 4 hours, or from Christchurch to Mt. Cook in about 5.5 hours. InterCity bus lines has a couple options, most of which run daily. *Note - because of the long drive time, it would be hard to make a day trip to Mt. Cook via public bus.
  • Private Transfer/Group Tours - Private transfer's to Mt. Cook National Park typically include a tour, which is why we've grouped these options together. If you aren't able to rent a car, this would be our best second recommendation.
  • Drive - The drive to Mt. Cook National Park is half of the adventure itself. With incredible views of gatorade blue rivers and lakes, stunning mountain tops and beautiful glaciers - this is the main reason we recommend that you drive - so you can stop to get out and explore wherever you want! Queenstown and Christchurch are the two main cities to drive to Mt. Cook National Park, so we've highlighted the best stops for each direction below!
Book a Rental Car in Queenstown!
Picture
​Our Favorite Tours on Maui : 
- Mt. Cook Tour from Queenstown
- Mt. Cook Tour from Christchurch
- 45 Minute Glacier Highlights Scenic Tour
Picture

Best Places to Stop While Driving to Mt. Cook (from Queenstown)

Picture
Picture
Picture
  • Arrow Junction Lookout Point - scenic viewpoint overlooking mountain tops and local farms
  • Crown Range Summit - with lots of switchbacks, the road leading to this incredible view is said to be one of the highest roads in New Zealand
  • Roaring Meg - pictured above, this waterfall was one of our favorite stops!
  • Cardrona Bra Fence - an interesting stop if you're into unique finds, this fence is lined with 100's of bras
  • Wanaka - small town with family fun attractions like Puzzling World, Wanaka Lavender Farm, an Alpine Resort and even a famous tree (The Wanaka Willow - #ThatWanakaTree)
  • Lindis Pass Summit Scenic Lookout - a great spot to pull over and stretch your legs, park in the small parking lot to enjoy the views with two short walking trails to other viewpoints 
  • Omarama Clay Cliffs - natural rock pinnacles
  • Omarama Hot Tubs - the perfect private indoor/outdoor hot tubs to relax and enjoy the views, it costs $140 for 2 people and $80 for each additional adult for a 90 minute time slot
  • ​Peters Lookout - another favorite stop of ours, and pictured above, this overlook brings you to an incredible view of Lake Pukaki, one of the bluest lakes we've ever seen

Best Places to Stop While Driving to Mt. Cook (from Queenstown)

Picture
Picture
Picture
  • Rakaia Gorge & Walkway - an easy 6.2 mile path with a stunning view overlooking the bright blue Rakaia River
  • Burkes Pass - a historic village featuring shops, a heritage walk, and souvenirs (similar to Wall Drug in the US)
  • Lake Tekapo - a small town perched on the edge of, you guessed it, Lake Tekapo (during the months of November to January you might have the chance to see the beautiful purple lupins!)
  • NZ Alpine Lavender - one of the largest lavender farms in the Southern Hemisphere
  • Lake Pukaki Lookout & Viewpoint - we highly recommend stopping here to stretch your legs, this lake is one of the bluest we've ever seen!
Watch our Adventures in New Zealand here!
Check out our other New Zealand posts!
  • Mt. Cook National Park - First Time Visitors Guide
  • Mt. Cook National Park - How to Get There & BEST Stops
  • 72 Hours in Queenstown - A Guide
Pin this post for later!
Picture
Picture
Comments
    Picture
    Picture
    ​We're Deborah & Tyler. After our move to Alaska, we decided to take a gap year and visited 30+ countries on a budget of $100 a day! This blog shares our best budget saving travel tips & international itineraries.
    Picture
    Picture

      Sign up & get our ULTIMATE Travel Planner & Packing List 
      FOR FREE!

    Join the Fam
    Picture
    Shop all our favorite gear!
    ---

    Our blog and all its content are free to you, however when you purchase through referral or affiliate links on our site we may earn a small commission. Learn more here about our affiliates and privacy policy. 
    ---
    ​Join Travel Payouts or Rock Porch to earn affiliates on your own sites!
    Picture

    Categories:

    All
    Asia
    Australia Oceania
    Bucketlist Adventures
    Bucketlist Stays
    Budget Travel
    City Guides
    Cruises
    Europe
    Food Guides
    Itineraries
    Minnesota
    National Parks
    North America
    Tour Reviews
    Usa
    Wildlife

    Picture
    Our other blogs :
    Your Alaskan Adventures
    Deborah in Korea
    Picture
Other Blogs by Us :
Deborah in Korea
Your Alaskan Adventures
Picture
© COPYRIGHT 2026. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PRIVACY POLICY
  • Home
  • Bucket List
  • Destinations
    • Asia
    • Australia & Oceania
    • Europe
    • North America >
      • Alaska
      • Hawaii
      • East Coast USA
      • Midwest USA
      • National Parks USA
  • Work With Us