This legendary New Zealand hotel is an attraction in itself

Check-in

New Zealand’s Southern Alps run in a long white-capped spine with Aoraki/Mount Cook the tallest of them all at 3724 metres. It comes straight into view as you drive down alongside Lake Pukaki.

Get closer and the valley floor is scrubbed flat by glaciers and there, hugging one of the gentler slopes is Aoraki/Mount Cook Village, a collection of lodge, motel and hotel accommodation for every kind of tourist, from the alpinists set on conquering the nearby peaks to the bus tourers admiring them from a distance.

The Hermitage and it’s Aoraki Wing (the tower at right) dwarfed by the surrounding mountains.

The Hermitage is the historic heart of the village; it’s about a four-hour drive from Christchurch or three hours from Queenstown.

The look

The first Hermitage was built in the early 1900s but that burnt, to be replaced by the current one in 1958. It has been expanded and overhauled many times and remains fit for purpose – an attraction in itself with its museum, restaurant, bars and 164 guest rooms, many of them positioned for views of the mountains, with the best of those views to be found in the Aoraki Wing.

The room

The Aoraki Wing was completed in 2002 and housekeeping was forever returning the beds to their side-on head-to-the-wall position after guests moved them to get a straight line out the window for the big Aoraki views. In a win for logic (and their workload) after a refurbishment that was completed last August, most rooms now aim everything but the shower and wardrobe at that view.

Making the most of those mountain views.

I’m in a Premium King room on the 10th floor with a big bathroom, walk-in shower, clever sensor lighting that comes on at night when you need it, plenty of hanging and luggage space just inside the timber-lined entry, bar fridge and coffee machine. Then the room really hits its straps – from here on in, unless you close the curtains, Aoraki is looking at you and is about the size of a drive-in movie screen – from the bench that doubles as a desk behind the bed, from the bed itself and from the two lounge chairs with their small coffee table right by the window.

Food + drink

Breakfast and dinner come as buffets in the big Hermitage dining room (that has more of those mountain views). The food is good, with the breakfast usuals and dinner a range of salads, curries, pasta dishes, roast and slow-cooked meats along with a seafood selection and generous line-up of desserts (including the controversial “are they NZ or Australian by origin?” pavlovas and lamingtons).

The Snowline Bar in winter.

With such choice, I’m left wondering if a chef might make a better, or more creative selection than me, but I’m well-fed. There’s a cafe and sunny terrace for lunch and the Snowline Bar for drinks before or after dinner.

Out + about

Given the height and challenge of the peaks, this has always been the centre for New Zealand alpine mountaineering. Before he set off for Everest, it was here that a young Edmund Hillary cut his climbing teeth, scaling many of the peaks, including Aoraki in late 1947.

A winter walk in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.

There’s a museum at The Hermitage that celebrates Hillary and other alpine adventurers. Beyond the buildings, the options are many. You’re in the hands of the weather and the seasons, but when it’s with you, skiing the Tasman Glacier is an option, as is a boat tour in the lake at its base. Walking, flightseeing, stargazing and kayaking are but a few of the other outdoorsy options.

The verdict

Until you’re there, it’s difficult to comprehend that within half a day’s travel from Australia you can be immersed in such a dramatic alpine landscape. Admiring it from the refurbished Aoraki Wing is an unmatched experience.

The essentials

Rooms in the Aoraki Wing from $NZ555 ($510) a night. Lower-cost rooms available elsewhere in the hotel and at the Mount Cook Lodge, Motel and Chalets. 89 Terrace Road, Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village, NZ. See hermitage.co.nz

Our rating out of five

★★★★½

Highlight Those Aoraki views, I could happily sit in the room for the entire stay and watch that mighty mountain.

Lowlight The refurbished Aoraki Wing sparkles, but the glass lifts reveal dirty lift shafts – they need cleaning up.

The writer was a guest of The Hermitage.