Tasman Glacier & Tasman Lake
Tasman Lake
The glacial lake formed at the terminus of the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand's longest glacier. A short walk brings you to a view over floating icebergs, or you can take a rubber boat to get close to the glacier.
The Tasman Glacier is about 23 km long, making it New Zealand's longest, and it has retreated rapidly in recent decades. Its terminus has formed the ever-expanding Tasman Lake. It takes about 10 minutes by car from Mount Cook Village to the Tasman Valley car park. A path climbs for about 20 minutes to the viewpoint, where you can look down on moraines, grey water and floating icebergs. You can also make a detour to Blue Lake along the way. In summer, Glacier Explorers offers rubber boat trips on the lake for about NZD 200, letting you get up close to the icebergs. The weather is changeable and can be windy, so bring warm clothing.
Opening hours
Open all day; cruise season about Sep–May
Nearby sights
- Kea Point Track
- Aoraki / Mount Cook
- The Hermitage & Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre
- Aoraki Mount Cook Scenic Flights
- Sealy Tarns Track
- Mueller Hut Route
- Lake Alexandrina
- Peters Lookout