Mount Cook lies in the centre of the South Island and stands tall at 3,724 metres. This landscape has to be one of the most iconic in New Zealand, with snow capped mountains and the turquoise waters of Lake Pukaki. Although this area is a tourist hotspot, there are plenty of opportunities to experience some of the wild and untamed wilderness of New Zealand at its very best, with glacial lakes, rugged peaks and vast valleys all around.
Instead of following one of the many tourist tracks in this region, I was keen to get fully off the beaten track to see the pure natural beauty in this area. The Hooker Valley Track is the popular choice and perhaps the most famous hike in the whole of New Zealand. Whilst this track is a must see, you will also encounter many tourists along the way.
There are quite possibly too many routes in this area to choose from, but for me, the Ball Hut hike near the Tasman Glacier stood out. Since arriving in New Zealand, I had been keen to stay in one of the idyllic looking New Zealand mountain huts and this remote wilderness seemed like the perfect place to scratch the itch.
Before I talk about the hike and experience itself, one thing to mention is how great the DOC (Department of Conservation) are in New Zealand. DOC are a government body who maintain and operate everything from hiking routes to campsites around each corner of New Zealand. Main National Parks will have a DOC office, where you can get an accurate weather forecast or buy passes to stay in backcountry huts. Offices also run an 'intentions' service, where hikers can essentially check in before their hike, meaning if someone were to get into trouble and not return home, the Search And Rescue service would be called. Travelling solo, this service gives some vital reassurance if something were to go wrong in the mountains.
Starting the hike to Ball Hut from the Tasman Glacier car park was somewhat uneventful, following a wide 4×4 track along the edge of the glacial lake, which you unfortunately can't see because of boulders towering above. Although this part of the trail wasn't the most picturesque, I was also glad for some gentle elevation, still suffering slightly from the effects of having covid the week before.
Around 3km into the hike, the views started reveal themselves. For the first time, views of the Tasman Glacier were visible from the edge of the trail. The panorama was spectacular, standing in the centre of what felt like a completely wilderness, miles away from any form of civilisation. The rugged peaks and the glacier in the distance towered above me, giving a pure feeling of being powerless and small, amongst this magnificent yet fragile part of the world.
The Tasman Glacier was fully intact until 2006 before a small 'lake' initially appeared as the Glacier started to melt. Standing at the edge of the glacier for 5 minutes or so, you'll almost certainly hear the glacier creaking and sections physically crumbling. Moments like these are extremely humbling - illustrating how fragile our environment is, the severity of the climate crisis, and also how fortunate we are to see the natural beauty of our glaciers while they still exist.
Today, the lake is 7km in length and is growing at an exponential rate every year. It is expected that the lake will grow / the glacier will shrink by approximately 400 - 800 metres every year. With some quick mental maths, it won't take you long to figure out that this glacier certainly won't be here forever.
After spending some time admiring this incredible landscape, the hike had to continue to reach the hut before dark. A large section of the original trail recently suffered a huge landslip. Before starting the hike, I was aware of this, but I wasn't sure about the scale of the damage until it was in front of me. A 20 metre crater, with a diameter spanning at least 200m. It took me quite sometime to figure out where the trail was actually heading, until realising it had been re-routed, but up and over the cliff face and through dense New Zealand Bush. I knew this next section was going to be interesting!
The climb started with some mild scrambling, before the 'rope' section began. Being scared of heights, the sight of these aide devices immediately sent minor panic into my brain. Taking these sections carefully and holding onto firm rocks or tree routes to stabilise myself, I traversed the tricky sections, and was relieved to reach a section of wider trails where falling wasn't so likely to be on the cards. The decent was somewhat interesting, again with lots of steep terrain but thankfully some helpful ropes to help return to flat land.
After this sketchy part of the trail, I was rewarded with another section of 4x4 track, which this time I enjoyed, in contrast to the gnarly section of trail I'd just overcome. Easy walking continued for a kilometre or so, before the next challenge started. The trail narrowed, before disappearing completely into sections of wide, boulder fields. In some sections the rocks were smaller, and easy to navigate; other parts were full of huge boulders which were challenging to scale. A rough route was maintained by orange markers along the trail, although it was easy to lose the way of the main path, straying off into sections of the old trail. Halfway through these boulder sections, the trail emerged again, but just as your feet got used to treading on a 'normal' trail again, it was time to manoeuvre over some rocks once more.
Finally, after almost 3 and a half hours of climbing, scrambling and traversing over some very interesting terrain, the hut was in sight. Dusk was just approaching so this was an extremely welcome sight. In the distance, the glacier high in the mountains could be seen, as well as pastel colours cast over the mountains as the sun tucked itself behind the peaks. I thought this was going to be a sedate and easy hike which would take no more than a couple of hours. Oh, how I had been so wrong!
Arriving at the hut was a surreal experience. The structure itself was tiny, but managed to nestle 3 bunks inside. Two French travellers has already arrived and gave a warm welcome into the abode for the evening.
Ball Hut is what the DOC class as a serviced Hut. There are comfortable bunks with mattresses, and access to water which needs to be boiled or treated before use. There is also access to a toilet, usually a long drop, which isn't as bad as it sounds. You do need to bring a sleeping bag, a cooking stove and of course food for the trip. To most, these forms of accommodation probably sound horrendous, but being able to stay in a location like this really felt like such a privilege, surrounded in pure magical wilderness and a peaceful paradise. These type of huts typically cost around $25 a night, which in English money, in 2024 is around £12.
As the sun disappeared fully and the light of the day disappeared, out came the Kea's. Kea's are the world's only alpine parrot and famous across New Zealand for being cheeky and bold. They are incredibly beautiful animals, but their bold nature can also cause trouble for hikers, with Kea's likely to destroy or damage anything they can get their beaks and claws onto. The screech of these majestic birds soaring high in the sky was the only sound that could be heard in this remote paradise.
The Aoraki area where Mount Cook is situated, sits within a dark sky reserve. This spot is renowned around the world as one of the best places for star gazing. My night in the ball hut was no exception. Miles away from civilisation and any form of light pollution, the display of stars was purely breathtaking. The depth of the milky way is something which you have to see with your own eyes to realise it truly exists. At home in England on a clear night, you can only see a fraction of what is really out there.
The following morning, no alarm was needed as the Kea's gave an early morning wake up call, clattering on the tin roof of the hut. The morning alpine air was cold and fresh, and the perfect way to wake up for the day.
As this was an out and back hike, I knew there was no option but to repeat the slightly anxiety provoking trail which I'd scaled the day before. Knowing what is in front of you is sometimes nice, but other times definitely not helpful. Thankfully, the particularly sketchy section was easier in reverse and once this section was over, I knew I was on the homeward stretch.
This two day adventure has to be one of my highlights of New Zealand, despite the challenging hike. With proper research and information from the DOC, I do recommend this hike but with a health warning that there are sections which are sketchy. Where possible, it definitely helps to have alpine experience and to hike with others incase of getting into difficulty. If you do explore this remote, serene and untamed area of the world, I hope you enjoy the peace and wilderness as much as I did.
