By air
Queenstown (ZQN) or Christchurch (CHC), ~3–4 h by road
Australia & New Zealand · New Zealand
Aoraki Mount Cook, New Zealand
New Zealand's highest peak under starry skies
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to April — summer
Don't miss
The Hooker Valley
The Tasman Glacier
Lake Pukaki
Lake Tekapo's Church of the Good Shepherd
Things to do
The Hooker Valley Track
Stargazing in the dark-sky reserve
Glacier flights
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Warm layers, hiking boots
A quieter corner
Tasman Lake's icebergs, on a short walk
Questions travellers ask
When is Aoraki Mount Cook at its best?
November to April, in summer. Bring warm layers and hiking boots.
How do I get to Aoraki Mount Cook?
Fly into Queenstown (ZQN) or Christchurch (CHC); from either it's about 3–4 h by road.
What are the top things to do at Aoraki Mount Cook?
Walk the Hooker Valley Track, go stargazing in the dark-sky reserve and take a glacier flight. See the Tasman Glacier, Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo's Church of the Good Shepherd.
Where can I see icebergs near Aoraki Mount Cook?
A short walk takes you to Tasman Lake's icebergs. Afterwards, try the salmon from the high-country canals.
About Aoraki Mount Cook
- Mountains
Where it is
Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand, about 3,724 m, in the Southern Alps of the South Island, within Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park in the Canterbury region, above the Tasman and Hooker glaciers and the turquoise Lake Pukaki.
History
To Ngāi Tahu, Aoraki is their most sacred ancestor, who in their tradition was turned to stone with his brothers when their canoe ran aground, forming the Southern Alps. The surveyor John Lort Stokes named the peak after Captain Cook in 1851, and three New Zealanders, Tom Fyfe, Jack Clarke and George Graham, first climbed it on Christmas Day 1894. The Ngāi Tahu settlement of 1998 restored the name Aoraki alongside Mount Cook.
People
Aoraki is the ancestor of Ngāi Tahu, the principal iwi of the South Island, and Mount Cook Village is a small alpine settlement of guides, rangers and hotel staff. Sir Edmund Hillary trained on these peaks before climbing Everest, and mountaineering remains at the heart of the area's life.
Known for
- The Hooker Valley Track
- The Tasman Glacier and its lake
- Stargazing in the dark-sky reserve
- Scenic flights over the Southern Alps
- Lake Pukaki's turquoise water
Did you know?
The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve around the mountain is one of the largest in the world, and the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds are clearly visible on clear nights.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.