New Zealand s highest mountain named Aoraki or Mount Cook
Photo taken December 2004. Aoraki/Mt Cook was known originally to the Maori as Aoraki. It was later renamed to Mt Cook by European settlers after Captain James Cook the explorer and first documented explorer to set foot on NZ soil. In 1998 the mount was renamed to Aoraki/Mt Cook to incorporate its Maori heritage. The mountain itself is a sky-scraping 3,754 metres tall. It has been climbed several times by different mountaineers, including the famous Sir Edmund Hillary. According to Maori legend, Aoraki and his three brothers were the sons of Rakinui, the Sky Father. They were on a voyage around Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, when their canoe was stranded after striking a reef in the ocean. Aoraki and his brothers climbed onto the top their canoe. The cold south wind froze them, and turned them into stone. Their canoe became New Zealand's South Island, which was then called Te Waka o Aoraki. Aoraki, the tallest of the brothers, became the highest peak. His brothers and crew became the other mountains of the Southern Alps The first western man to set sight on this mountain was Samuel Butler a legendary climber and adventurer. It is the natural habitat for native buttercup, Mt Cook mountain daisies and spear grass. Birdlife includes the kea and pipit . The Tasman Glacier is a popular glacier for heli-skiing and scenic tourist flights abound. It is included in a World Heritage Area named Te Wahipounamu and encompassing parts of Westland, Fiordland, Mount Cook and Mount Aspiring National Parks. One of New Zealand's most famous outlaws, James Mackenzie, a sheep rustler along with his dog Friday are associated with this region as they 'stole' sheep from large high country farmers and it was some time before they were caught. A statue of a collie dog at Lake Tekapo commemorates the value of the trusty dog in developing the region. Nearby is the Upper Waitaki Power Development Scheme.
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Photo credit: © Kristen Soper / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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