Hwy 80 to Mount Cook National Park
The scenic drive to Mount Cook National Park offers 55 km of lake, mountain, and bush scenery. Learn how to get there and see a video of what the scenery looks like.
This scenic drive starts at the junction of highways 8 and 80.
It is approximately 55 km from the beginning of highway 80 to the junction with the Hooker Valley Road in Mount Cook National Park.
Driving at about 80 to 100 km/h (50 to 62 mph) – the maximum speed limit on highways in New Zealand is 100 km/h (62 mph) – it would take approximately 30 to 40 minutes to reach Mount Cook National Park from the junction with highway 8.
Other than a few tourist facilities, you will not come across any houses here; you’ll be literally in the middle of nowhere.
How to get to State Highway 80
From Christchurch drive to Lake Tekapo and then from Tekapo drive South until you reach the junction of State Highway 8 and 80.
The Tekapo to Lake Pukaki scenic drive NZ gives you an idea of what to expect when driving from Tekapo to the juction of SH 8 and SH 80. Then travel north towards Mount Cook National Park.
From Twizel or Omarama, drive North until you reach the junction of State Highway 8 and 80. Then travel north towards Mount Cook National Park.
Basic info for the scenic drive on Highway 80 to Mount Cook
| Driving distance: | 55 km (34 mi) |
| Driving time: | 30 – 40 minutes |
| Road type: | Sealed (paved) two-lane highway |
| Road condition: | Very good; smooth driving |
| Best time to drive: | Morning |
| What you’ll see: | Mountains, Lake Pukaki, bush, tussock grassland |
The following map shows the starting point (arrow with star) and end point (flag) for this scenic drive when driving from the junction of State Highway 8 and 80 to Mount Cook National Park. Use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out of the map to see more or less detail on the map.
Figure 1. Map of highway 80 to Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand.
Video of the scenic drive to Mount Cook National Park
The 2-minute video below gives you a taste of what to expect on this scenic drive.
Filed under Scenic Drives
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