Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park (70,696 hectares) is New Zealand's great alpine park. It has the highest mountains and the largest glaciers. Most of the park is situated above the tree line so that the plant life consists mainly of alpine plants such as the Mount Cook lily, (Ranunculus lyalli), which is the largest buttercup in the world, large mountain daisies and wild spaniard or spear grass. Birdlife consists of species like the kea, the only alpine parrot, and the well-camouflaged pipit. Introduced chamois, Himalayan tahr and red deer can be hunted. The park is popular for hiking, skiing, hunting and mountaineering. The park is a harsh land of ice and rock; glaciers make up 40% of it. There are 19 peaks over 3,000 metres including of course New Zealand's highest mountain, Mount Cook itself. The village of Mount Cook and all visitors to the park are dwarfed by the immensity of the majestic alpine landscape that surrounds them. Aoraki, as it is called in Maori language, was formally established as a national park in 1953 and now protects the region’s significant vegetation and landscape. The park is a harsh land of ice and rock; glaciers cover almost half of the park, there are 19 peaks over 3,000 m, amongst them the country’s highest mountain, Mount Cook. The park is also part of Te Waipounamu - South Westland World Heritage Area, which recognizes its absolutely outstanding natural values even on an international scale.