Image: Michael Hamilton | Creative Commons
Aoraki/Mt Cook from Sealy Tarns.
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

Located in the Canterbury region

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is a rugged land of ice and rock, with 19 peaks over 3,000 metres including New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Visit at night

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is one of the best places in New Zealand to view the night sky, either by yourself or with a guide. With no cities or even small towns close by, and the village with all downcast lighting, the night sky is crystal clear and ringed by mountain ranges.

Use the telescopes at the Hermitage Hotel to view Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moons, Magellanic Clouds and the various constellations that make up the night sky. Start your evening at the purpose-built planetarium at the Hermitage, before venturing out to see an amazing sparkling display.

Visit the visitor centre

Visit Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre for help with outdoor plans and to explore the artwork collection, interpretation exhibits and watching DVDs about the area.

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is located in the central South Island. It is accessed off State Highway 8 at the end of State Highway 80. It is a 3.5 hour drive from Queenstown and a 4.5 hour drive from Christchurch.

Access may be limited in the winter months (June – September) due to snowfall. Check the road conditions before you go: Highway conditions for Canterbury.

The nearest towns with supermarkets and services are Twizel (1 hour) and Tekapo (1.5 hour).

A very small alpine village is located within the park, at the end of SH80. The village has a day shelter with toilets and coin-operated showers, a visitor centre, a petrol station and limited café, restaurant and bar options.

Check the weather

Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park forecasts and observations - MetService New Zealand

Be aware of avalanches

Avalanches can occur in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in any season. Find out about avalanche danger in Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Be prepared for high visitor numbers

White Horse Hill car park may have limited parking spaces from November – March between 10 am- 4 pm. Be prepared to encounter high visitor numbers on the Hooker Valley Track or consider visiting off-peak times.

Plan your walk

  • Go to the toilet before you walk (toilets halfway along the Hooker Valley Track).
  • Carry warm and waterproof clothing, sunscreen and water.
  • Allow enough time (Hooker Valley Track: 3-4 hours return).

No drones, dogs or fires

Dogs or other animals are not allowed in the national park.

Recreational drone use is not allowed anywhere in the national park. You must have a permit to fly a drone for commercial purposes on public conservation land. Commercial drone use information.

There is a permanent fire ban in the national park.

Remove rubbish and human waste

Rubbish bins in the national park are limited - take your waste out of the national park. Rubbish can be disposed at the Resource Recovery Parks located at Fairlie, Lake Tekapo and Twizel. See Resource Recovery Parks for information and opening hours.

Waste in alpine areas might not ever break down. It looks bad when snow melts in summer and presents a health risk. Leaving waste (including human waste) in the national park is also unacceptable to Ngāi Tahu, as the waters that flow from Aoraki are sacred. 

A ‘pack-it-out’ method of human waste disposal should be used when there is no toilet available in alpine areas.

All drone use must be authorised by DOC

You must have a permit to fly a drone on public conservation land.

Visit our Drone use on conservation land page for more information.

Mountains

The park is a harsh land of ice and rock. Glaciers cover 40% of it. There are 19 peaks over 3,000 m including New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook. The park is also part of Te Waipounamu - South Westland World Heritage Area in recognition of its outstanding natural values.

The glaciers that have helped shape the park's landscape include five major valley systems: Godley, Murchison, Tasman, Hooker and Mueller. The Tasman Glacier, New Zealand's largest and longest glacier, is clearly visible from the main highway at the entrance of the park. Its 23 km long, up to three km wide and 101 sq km. Although covered with rock material in its lower reaches, the ice of the Tasman is about 600 metres deep near the Hochstetter Icefall.

At 3,724 m, New Zealand's tallest peak is known as Aoraki by Māori. According to legend, Aoraki was a young boy in the canoe Te Waka a Aoraki, which was stranded on a reef and tilted to one side. Aoraki and his brothers climbed to the high side and sat on the wreckage. The south wind froze them and turned them into stone, creating the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana.

In 1851 Captain J. L. Stokes, sailing down the West Coast, gave the mountain its European name, Mount Cook, in honour of the English navigator Captain James Cook.

Plants and animals

There is virtually no forest in the park. Instead the park is alive with the most wonderful alpine plants. Over 300 species of plants are found in the park. Among the most spectacular of these are many varieties of mountain buttercup (Ranunculus) and daisy/tikumu (Celmisia). The famed Mount Cook lily, Ranunculus lyalli, is the largest buttercup in the world.

About 40 species of birds are found in the park, and perhaps the most distinctive of these is the kea, a mountain parrot well known for its mischievous antics. The only true alpine bird is the tiny rock wren/piwauwau, which survives the winter in high rock basins. However kea, falcons/karearea and black-backed gulls/karoro can be found soaring in higher areas.

The braided riverbed of the Tasman is home to the kakī/black stilt, one of New Zealand's rarest birds.

The park is rich with invertebrate fauna, including large dragonflies, grasshoppers, distinctive moths and butterflies. A black alpine wētā known as the Mount Cook flea is found above the snowline. The jewelled gecko lives in the region but is so secretive that it is rarely seen.

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park has a rich cultural and industrial heritage. To Ngāi Tahu, Aoraki represents the most sacred of ancestors. Read about history at Aoraki/Mount Cook.