Hiking to Hooker Hut with Kids: An Aoraki Mount Cook Adventure

Hiking to Hooker Hut with Kids

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | New Zealand

For more specific DOC information on this trip, click here.

Our film is linked below!

This one had been on the bucket list for a while and is the perfect little adventure for little legs.

Today, the Hooker Valley Track is a popular route, crowded with tourists heading to Hooker Lake for stunning views of Aoraki/Mount Cook. However, a short distance from the Whitehorse carpark, you can leave the main trail and slip away to the hidden historic Hooker Hut. A discreet orange DOC marker (nailed to the boardwalk) at Stocking Stream signals the turnoff, guiding you off the busy path to this secluded spot.

The Hooker Hut, the oldest in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park!

It was relocated and restored in 2020–2021, preserving its heritage while adding modern comforts like a fireplace, gas cooker, and detached toilet. Opened in 1910 on the moraine wall of Hooker Glacier, the hut was built by guides led by Peter Graham as a base for mountaineers. Access was difficult, requiring a hand-built track for pack horses to bring materials. Harsh weather and glacier movement forced several relocations—in 1948, 1961, and 1994. The site became nearly inaccessible after a 1994 washout, and an avalanche damaged the hut in 2004. It was dismantled and stored in Twizel in 2015, then re

assembled at this safer, more accessible site beginning in 2020. Built with a timber frame and corrugated iron cladding…

… it’s also known for tales of a resident alpine ghost!

One little tip: if venturing to the hut in the colder months, be sure to check-in at the DOC office before you depart. They’ll issue you with a key to the woodshed! (a very kiwi system!)