Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Hooker Lake

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Type
  
Proglacial lake

Basin countries
  
New Zealand

Primary outflows
  
Hooker River

Hooker Lake

Location
  
Mount Cook National Park, South Island

Max. length
  
2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) (2016)

Max. width
  
0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi)

Hooker Lake is a proglacial lake that started to form in the late 1970s by the recent retreat of the Hooker Glacier. It is located in the Hooker Valley, within the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand's South Island, just south of Aoraki / Mount Cook.

Hooker Lake's length has doubled between 1990 and 2013 from 1.2 kilometres to 2.3 kilometres, retreating by over 50 metres (160 ft) per year. The lake is expected to grow in length by another 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) as Hooker Glacier retreats further up the valley until the glacier's retreat will have reached the point where the glacier bed is higher than the lake's water level.

Hooker Lake is one of the most accessible glacier lakes and can be reached all year round from the White Horse Hill camping ground near Mount Cook Village via the well-formed Hooker Valley Track. The walking track ends at a lookout point at the lake's shore, with a short path providing easy access to the shore.

The lake freezes over in winter, and in the warmer months icebergs can typically be seen floating in the water. The icebergs slowly drift from the terminus of Hooker Glacier at the northern end of the lake south until close to the shore. The lake's water temperature is typically lower than 2 °C (36 °F).

Hooker Lake drains into Hooker River, its glacial waters coloured a blueish light grey due to the suspended glacial rock flour.

There are no boat tours on Hooker Lake, only on the larger nearby Tasman Lake.

References

Hooker Lake Wikipedia