Mount Cook And Lake Pukaki South Island New Zealand
No visit to New Zealand and in particular to the South Island is complete without a visit to Mount Cook.
Mount Cook is New Zealand’s highest mountain at a towering 3,754 meters and an icon on the South Island.
Lake Pukaki takes up spot number 6 in the list of New Zealand’s 10 largest lakes. It comes after Lake Ellesmere in Canterbury, and before Lake Manapouri in Southland.

Lake Pukaki is approximately 169 square km large and has a depth of 70 meters. Lake Pukaki is known for its exceptionally blue color, which it gets from suspended particles in the water; particles which are formed by the grinding of rock as snow melts off the mountains and fills the rivers and lakes.
The Lake Pukaki / Mount Cook lookout is a 2 and a half 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.
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