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Routes · Oceania

Irkutsk to New Zealand's Southern Alps: Wanaka and Aoraki/Mount Cook

Irkutsk → Wānaka → Aoraki/Mount Cook

That Wanaka Tree
""The Tree" Lake Wanaka. NZ (24202789152).jpg" by Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Lakes, glaciers & dark skies Best season (general guide): Nov–Mar

The Southern Alps run down New Zealand's South Island. This route spends three nights in Wānaka and three at Aoraki/Mount Cook. From Irkutsk you'll connect via Asia to Queenstown.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Wānaka: day one, drive to Wānaka; day two, Roys Peak; day three, lake day. Then spend days four to six in Aoraki/Mount Cook: day four, drive to Mount Cook village; day five, Hooker Valley Track; day six, Lake Tekapo and stargazing.

Wānaka sits on a lake surrounded by mountains. A willow growing in the water, That Wanaka Tree, is a famous photo.

Roys Peak is a steep hike with views over the lake.

Aoraki/Mount Cook is New Zealand's highest mountain. The Hooker Valley Track leads to a glacier lake.

The area lies in a dark-sky reserve, and Lake Tekapo is known for stargazing.

November to March is the warmest season.

Good to know: A car is needed. Mountain weather changes quickly.

Wānaka is quieter than Queenstown, with lakeside cafés and walking tracks along the shore. Roys Peak is a long, steep climb with no shade, so start early and carry plenty of water. Lake activities include kayaking and paddleboarding in summer. The drive to Aoraki/Mount Cook crosses the Lindis Pass and the Mackenzie Basin, with lupins along the road in early summer. The Hooker Valley Track is flat and suitable for most walkers, with swing bridges over the river. At Lake Tekapo, the Church of the Good Shepherd stands on the shore. Stargazing tours run from Tekapo and Mount Cook village. Fill the car with fuel before long stretches. Weather in the mountains can close tracks, so stay flexible.

Canada advises normal precautions in New Zealand (advisory updated 16 Jul 2026), and the US rates it Level 1 (issued 29 Apr 2026).

Accommodation at Mount Cook village is limited, so book early. Wānaka's lakefront is lovely in the long summer evenings, when the light stays on the mountains late, and picnic spots line the shore for an easy dinner outdoors.

Suggested outline

  1. Irkutsk

    Start

  2. Wānaka

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A lakeside town below mountains.

  3. Aoraki/Mount Cook

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    New Zealand's highest peak and a dark-sky reserve.

    Hooker Valley Track
    "Hooker Valley Pano MC edit1.jpg" by Christian Mehlführer, User:Chmehl, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Wānaka — Arrive; drive to Wānaka· Irkutsk → Queenstown (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day, then Queenstown → Wānaka (by road)
  2. Day 2 · Wānaka — Roys Peak
  3. Day 3 · Wānaka — Lake day
  4. Day 4 · Aoraki/Mount Cook — Drive to Mount Cook village· Wānaka → Aoraki/Mount Cook (overland)
  5. Day 5 · Aoraki/Mount Cook — Hooker Valley Track
  6. Day 6 · Aoraki/Mount Cook — Lake Tekapo and stargazing
  7. Day 7 · Aoraki/Mount Cook — Travel home from Aoraki/Mount Cook· Aoraki/Mount Cook → Queenstown (overland), then Queenstown → Irkutsk (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Wānaka

Nearest airport: Queenstown Search fares · Queenstown ↗

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