We awoke to a long white cloud sitting low in front of the mountains surrounding Lake McGregor. With little to no wind, it was a very pleasant morning to sit by the van with a cuppa before zipping off to our next stop.

Next stop, Aoraki National Park, where 3,724m of earths crust protrudes from below.

Welcome to Mount Cook.

You’ve probably seen photos of the winding road leading to the snow-capped peak of Mount Cook, and Lake Pukaki below. But here are a few more.

Arriving at White Horse Hill, we were met with hundreds of other camper-vanning travellers, tourists and families. This is not just a campsite, but also the parking lot to begin one of New Zealand’s most famous hikes.

Popping on a pair of shorts, slapping on some sunscreen and a pair of shoes to walk in (not thongs this time), we set off to begin the famous Hooker Valley Track.

Camping at White Horse Hill Campground:

• Very clean toilets.
• Fresh water to refill the water tanks and brush your teeth.
• Large undercover cooking area with power-points and benches to cook on.
• Sand flies were hardly present here.
• It’s pretty much a carpark, but the scenery is unreal, so I give this spot a strong 8/10.

How long does it take to get there:

If you’re travelling from Lake Tekapo, it should take about 1.5hrs to get to Twizel, where we re-fuelled the van and re-stocked the fridge, and about 1hr to get from Twizel to Mount Cook.