Aoraki/Mount Cook
Aoraki/Mt Cook, seen from the south, taken from a glider flying at an altitude of 4000 m (13,000 ft). The glider had flown from Omarama, a commercial gliding site 100 km (62 miles) from the mountain.
Elevation:	3,754 m (12,316')
Location:	South Island, New Zealand
Range:	Southern Alps
Coordinates:	43°36′ S 170°10′ E
First ascent:	1894 by Tom Fyfe, George Graham, Jack Clarke
Easiest route:	glacier/snow/ice climb

Aoraki/Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Aoraki/Mt Cook is a peak in the Southern Alps, a mountain range that runs the length of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. The Tasman Glacier and Hooker Glacier flow down its slopes. Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 202 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... South Island The South Island forms one of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the North Island. ... The most general definition of a mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands. ... The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is about longitude and latitude; see also UTM coordinate system Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically); large version (pdf) The geographic (earth-mapping) coordinate system expresses every horizontal position on Earth by two of the three coordinates of a... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... Mount McKinley in Alaska has one of the largest visible base-to-summit elevation differences anywhere A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. ... South Island The South Island forms one of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the North Island. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... Mount Cook area from LandSat. ... Hooker Glacier is one of several glaciers found around or close to the slopes of Mount Cook in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. ...

Following the settlement between Kāi Tahu and the Crown in 1998, title to Aoraki/Mt Cook was returned to Kāi Tahu, and it was then formally gifted back to the nation. At this time, the name was also officially changed from Mount Cook to Aoraki/Mount Cook. As part of the settlement, a number of placenames were appended with their Māori name. Signifying the importance of Aoraki/Mt Cook, it is the only one of these names where the Māori name precedes the English. Ngāi Tahu, or Kai Tahu, is the principal iwi (tribe) of the southern region of New Zealand. ... Māori (or Maori) is the Polynesian language spoken in New Zealand. ...

Location

The mountain is located within the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. The park was formally declared in 1953, and in combination with Westland National Park is one of the United Nations World Heritage Parks. The park contains more than 140 peaks standing over 2000 m (6500 ft) and 72 named glaciers, which cover 40% of the park's 700 km² (173,000 acres). Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links NZ-Mt_Cook. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links NZ-Mt_Cook. ... Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park is situated in the South Island of New Zealand near the town of Twizel. ... Westland National Park is located in New Zealands South Island. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... Mouth of the glacier Schlatenkees near Innergschlöß, Austria. ...

The settlement of Mount Cook Village (also known as The Hermitage) serves as a tourist centre and base camp for the mountain. It is located 4 km from the head of the Tasman Glacier, 12 km south of Aoraki/Mt Cook's summit. Mount Cook Village is located on the southern slopes of New Zealands highest mountain, 12 kilometres south of Mount Cooks summit. ... Mount Cook area from LandSat. ...

Name

Aoraki means "Cloud Piercer" in the Kāi Tahu dialect of the Māori language. Historically, the Māori name has also been spelt in the "canonical" Māori form: Aorangi. The more English name honours Captain James Cook, who first surveyed and circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand in 1770. Ngāi Tahu, or Kai Tahu, is the principal iwi (tribe) of the southern region of New Zealand. ... Māori (or Maori) is the Polynesian language spoken in New Zealand. ... Jump to: navigation, search James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ...

Summit attempts

The first recorded European attempt on the summit was initially attributed to the Irishman Rev. W. H. Green and two Swiss mountain guides on 2 March 1882, but it was subsequently established that they were 50 m short of the true summit. On 25 December 1894 New Zealanders Tom Fyfe, James (Jack) Clarke and George Graham, all from the South Island town of Waimate, successfully reached the summit via the Hooker Valley. Jump to: navigation, search March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Panorama of the view from the white horse overlooking Waimate township Waimate is a town and district in the South Island of New Zealand. ...

It remains a challenging ascent, with frequent storms and very steep snow and ice climbing to reach the peak. Strictly speaking, it is a triple peak, with the north peak being the highest, and the central and southern peaks being slightly lower. A traverse of the three peaks was first accomplished in 1913 by Freda du Faur and guides Peter and Alex Graham. Three years earlier Du Faur became the first woman to ascend Aoraki/Mt Cook.

Aoraki/Mount Cook from LandSat

Aoraki/Mount Cook was 20 m (65 ft) higher until a large section of rock and ice fell off the northern peak in January 1991. Download high resolution version (750x750, 114 KB)This image was acquired by Landsat 7s Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) sensor on March 31, 2001. ... Download high resolution version (750x750, 114 KB)This image was acquired by Landsat 7s Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) sensor on March 31, 2001. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Southern Alps

The Southern Alps on the South Island are formed by tectonic uplifting and pressure as the Pacific and Australia-Indian plates collide along the island's western coast. The uplifting continues, raising Aoraki/Mt Cook an average of 7 mm (slightly less than half an inch) each year. However, erosive forces are also powerful shapers of the mountains. The severe weather is due to the mountain's jutting into a trade wind pattern known as the Roaring Forties, which is characterized by powerful winds that run roughly around 45°S latitude, south of both Africa and Australia, so that the Southern Alps are the first obstacle the winds encounter after South America as they blow easterly across the Southern Ocean. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ... The trade winds are a pattern of wind found in bands around the Earths equatorial region. ... The Roaring Forties is a name given, especially by sailors, to the latitudes between 40° and 50°, so called because of the boisterous and prevailing westerly winds. ...

Forests and Glaciers

The standard tourist view of Aoraki/Mount Cook from the Hermitage hotel, Aoraki/Mt Cook Village

The average annual rainfall in the surrounding lowlands is around 7.6 m (300 inches). This very high rainfall leads to temperate rain forests in the coastal lowlands and a reliable source of snow in the mountains to keep the glaciers flowing. These include the Tasman and Murchison Glaciers to the east and the smaller Hooker and Mueller Glaciers to the south. Mount Cook viewed from The Hermitage. ... Mount Cook viewed from The Hermitage. ... A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ... The Murchison Glacier is a 18 kilometre long glacier flowing through Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Hooker Glacier is one of several glaciers found around or close to the slopes of Mount Cook in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. ... The Mueller Glacier is a 13 kilometre long glacier flowing through Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. ...

See also

• List of mountains of New Zealand by height

Jump to: navigation, search The following is a list of the highest mountains in New Zealand, and also of some other prominent mountains and hills, ordered by height. ...

External Links

• Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park homepage