Glentanner Park Centre

Its European name was bestowed in 1851, in honour of Captain James Cook. But it is also officially known by its Maori name, ‘Aoraki’, from an ancient myth, in which the Gods turned the entire complement of a wrecked canoe into hills. The ‘tallest’ of the party was a child named Aoraki, who was sitting on the chief’s shoulders. Another account says that the mountain was named in honour of Aoraki, the first-born son of the sky father.

The summit, which has in fact three peaks, is 3,764 metres above sea level towering over its neighbours. It was once 10 metres higher, but in December 1991, an avalanche containing 10 million cubic metres of snow, ice and rock tumbled off the eastern face of the summit.

The first attempt at the summit was made in 1882, but it was not conquered until Christmas Day, 1894. The mountain is still not to be taken lightly, as over 140 climbers have lost their lives on its slopes.

Mt Cook is the centrepiece of Mt Cook National Park, comprising nearly 70,000 hectares, more than one-third of which is permanent ice and snow. Within it frontiers are many of the most spectacular features of the central Southern Alps.

Twenty-two other peaks exceed 3,050 metres in height, including Mt Tasman, the second highest in the country at 3,497 metres. These peaks have served as an outstanding training ground for many notable New Zealand mountaineers, including Sir Edmund Hillary and his son Peter, and Graeme Dingle.

The visitor’s centre at Mount Cook Village will tell you of the wide range of activities available throughout the year. But tell the guides if you are going anywhere beyond the immediate confines. In summer park staff arrange an informal and friendly programme of guided walks during the day, and evening lectures on birds, ski mountaineering and other topics, to enable everyone to better understand and appreciate the beauty of the park.

There are many official and private huts to serve climbers or experienced trampers. Walks range from the short Bowen Track, which takes 20 minutes to complete, to longer walks on the Wakefield, Hooker Valley and Red Tarns Tracks.

Park rangers organise daily walks along the many easy tracks during the summer. There is a school of mountaineering, and professional guides are available for climbing, tramping on routes such as the Copland Pass, and skiing.

There are five major glaciers in the region, including the Tasman Glacier, a river of ice 27 kilometres long, in places 2,500 metres thick, and up to three kilometres wide. It is the largest glacier in the world outside the polar regions or the Himalayas.

A pure white mountain buttercup known as the Mount Cook lily grows in profusion throughout the region. The olive green parrot, the kea, is best known of the region’s birds. It is blatantly curious, so keep a close eye on your food during a meal. Many other birds may be seen, including native pigeons, grey warblers, bellbirds, and the tiny rifleman. All of them are protected.

The hunting of European chamois, and Himalayan thar, though, is actively encouraged, because of the damage the animals cause to the vegetation. Shooting permits must be obtained at park headquarters.

Twenty-four kilometres from Mt Cook Village and eighteen kilometres for Mt Cook National Park is Glentanner Park, with caravan and camp sites, and cabins. Flightseeing with glacier landings, and a wide variety of other activities including horsetreking and fishing.

One of the best ways to view the alpine scenery is to take the renowned grand traverse scenic flight around the Mt Cook and Westland National Parks from Glentanner. Down below you one spectacle after another will unfold, as you cross the Murchison and Tasman Glacier, the Main Divide, Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, Mt Cook, before touching down 50 minutes later.