Mt Cook

This park is home to New Zealand’s highest mountains and largest glaciers – glaciers covering 40% of the park’s area. Formally made into a National Park in 1953, the park is sacred to the Maori people of the area. The park is named after the tallest peak in the Southern Alps – Aoraki (it’s Maori name meaning ‘cloud piercer’) Mount Cook, which, at 3754 feet, is the highest mountain in Australasia.

Mt Cook and the surrounding mountains are a challenge to climbers from around the world. One of New Zealand’s most famous mountaineers, Sir Edmund Hillary, spent time training here before his successful ascent of Mt Everest in 1953. The information centre provides all of the information about walks, their length, difficulty, requirements, and the weather, which is a vital piece of information needed.