A Photo Gallery of Mount Cook ( 3764 metres ) ( Aoraki - " Cloud Piercer " ) in the Southern Alps - the highest mountain in New Zealand The name "Mount Cook" honours Captain James Cook who first surveyed and circumnavigated New Zealand in 1770. The mountain lies in the South Island in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park - a United Nations World Heritage Park. The park contains more than 140 peaks standing over 2,000 m ( 6,500 ft ) and 72 named glaciers. The settlement of Mount Cook Village ( also known as "The Hermitage" ) is a tourist centre and base camp for the mountain. It is 7 km from the end of the Tasman Glacier - 12 km south of Aoraki / Mount Cook's summit.
|