Hooker Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hooker Lake |
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Hooker Glacier Lake in front of Aoraki / Mount Cook in summer
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 Hooker Lake
Location in South Island
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| Location | Mount Cook National Park, South Island |
| Coordinates | 43°40′45″S 170°06′30″E / 43.67917°S 170.10833°E |
| Type | Proglacial lake |
| Primary outflows | Hooker River |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) (2016) |
| Max. width | 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) |
| Max. depth | 136 metres (446 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 877 metres (2,877 ft) |
| Frozen | most winters |
Hooker Lake is a beautiful lake found in New Zealand's South Island. It is located in the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, very close to the famous Aoraki / Mount Cook mountain. This lake is special because it is a "proglacial lake." This means it formed as a glacier melted and moved back. The lake started appearing in the late 1970s and has been growing bigger ever since!
What's in a Name?
The name "Hooker Lake" and other places nearby were chosen by Julius von Haast. He was a geologist from the Canterbury Province. He named them after a British botanist named William Jackson Hooker.
About Hooker Lake
Hooker Lake has grown a lot over the years. Between 1990 and 2013, its length doubled from 1.2 kilometers to 2.3 kilometers. This happened because the Hooker Glacier has been melting and moving back by more than 50 meters each year. Scientists expect the lake to grow even more, possibly by another 4 kilometers. This will happen as the glacier continues to retreat further up the valley.
Visiting the Lake
Hooker Lake is one of the easiest glacier lakes to visit. You can get there all year round from the White Horse Hill camp ground. This camp ground is near Mount Cook Village. A well-made path called the Hooker Valley Track leads right to the lake. The path ends at a viewing spot by the lake's edge. There is also a short path that lets you easily walk right down to the shore.
Icebergs and Water
During the warmer months, you can often see icebergs floating in the water. These icebergs slowly drift from the end of the glacier at the north side of the lake. They float until they are close to the shore. The water in Hooker Lake is very cold, usually less than 2 degrees Celsius.
In winter, the lake often freezes over completely. During the coldest part of the year, it can even be safe to walk on the ice.
Hooker Lake flows into the Hooker River. The water from the glacier makes the lake a bluish light grey color. This is because of tiny rock particles called "rock flour" that are suspended in the water.
You cannot take boat tours on Hooker Lake. However, you can take boat tours on the larger Tasman Lake, which is nearby.
