Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park hosts over 19 peaks including New Zealand's highest mountain, Mount Cook. The harsh landscape is primarily ice and rock, 40% of which is covered in scenic glaciers, including the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand's largest glacier.
Rather than being covered in forestry, Aoraki/Mt Cook park is decorated with alpine plants and home to around 40 species of birds and animals including the kea and tiny rock wren, making it the perfect place for a picturesque walk. Seeing the jewelled gecko would be a real gem, as the lizard is very secretive and rarely seen.
Other activities include exploring the historical value of the site, such as the remnants of the hydroelectric power scheme which industrialised the tourist attraction in the early 1900s, and learning about the rich Maori legends that breathe life into the surroundings- including how legends says Aoraki was a young boy frozen by the southern wind, forming the Southern Alps, and that Aoraki is the origin
Reviews
The scenery of this place is seriously postcard worthy! Loved the shorter walking trails, took around an hour long walk finish the "Governors Bush Walk", which included the viewpoint to look over Wakefield Ridge and Mount Cook to a background of pretty bird songs. Definitely want to return to try the longer ones- the valley trek looks really good.
