Lake Pukaki Viewing Point, Ben Ohau 7999, Canterbury Region, New Zealand

Lake Pukaki Viewing Point, Ben Ohau 7999, Canterbury Region, New Zealand 

Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki are located on the South Island of New Zealand not too far from Lake Tekapo.

Lake Pukaki is located just south of Mount Cook, and both can be seen from State Highway 8 when driving between Tekapo and Twizel.

The best view however is from the Lake Pukaki / Mount Cook lookout at the Information Center just before you reach the turnoff for State Highway 80 to Mount Cook National Park when you are coming from Lake Tekapo, or after the turnoff when you are coming from Twizel.

There is a second lookout called Peters Lookout – not sure if they forgot to add an apostrophe or not as in Peter’s Lookout – that is located on State Highway 80, about 10 km in from State Highway 8, where you can stop and enjoy more views of Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki.

The Lake Pukaki / Mount Cook lookout is a 2.5 to 3 hours drive away from Christchurch. You can reach it by driving from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo, and then from Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki.

There are several other less scenic routes you can follow to get to Mount Cook, but the one mentioned above is the shortest and most scenic driving route to Mount Cook.

Epic New Zealand Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound