We were worried when we began New Zealand’s most iconic hike in what seemed to be a dreary fog. Balancing other activities and wanting to avoid the late morning crowds, we started anyways. The dampness was layered through the air, and a drizzle intermittently rained on us as we began our trek.
One of the most dramatic things about the Aoraki/Mt Cook area is just how much the sky influences and colors all the scenery. Now, with moody cloud cover overhead, the Hooker River took on a chalky gray color. The shrubbery and trees popped with a lush, almost tropical green. The glacier-scoured walls and boulders of the valley were high contrast, each line and layer of rock visible.
The Hooker Valley Track is widely known as New Zealand’s most iconic hike. In my view, few other hikes in my life have come close to its quantity of beauty with so little effort. A short 7-mile out-and-back trail with minimal elevation gain, it crosses the Hooker River 3 times via elevated suspension bridges and the glacial field via a winding boardwalk fit for royalty.
By the Second Swing Bridge, our luck had begun to improve. In the distance, we saw a glimmer of sunlight lighting a distant mountain peak. The clouds were moving fast, and the transition stunned me: within minutes, the clouds had begun to part. Chalky water turned to bright white. The sky became bright blue. The greenery basked in the newfound sunlight.
As we walked along the well-developed path, I thought back to an inscription at the Alpine Memorial commemorating the mountaineers who had died on the mountain. “I am not gone,” it reads, “I am in these mountains, I am in the stars, I am all around you, always near, never far.”
Within half an hour, the Hooker Valley Track had completely transformed into something new. We were walking along that boardwalk, head held high, the peak of Aoraki/Mt Cook in full view, wondering what we had done to deserve such fortune.