Your holiday to Mount Cook will take you to the national park that is home to 22 of the 27 highest mountains in New Zealand. The highlight of a Mount Cook holiday is of course visiting the tallest mountain in Australasia- Aoraki Mount Cook. According to legend Aoraki and his three brothers who were the sons of Rakinui, the Sky Father were on a sea voyage when their canoe overturned on a reef. The brothers climbed on top of their canoe but the freezing south wind turned them to stone. The canoe became the South Island and Aoraki and his brothers became the peaks of the Southern Alps.
Holidays to Mount Cook provide tourists with amazing alpine views and a range of walks that take visitors within touching distance of the Hooker and Tasman glaciers. The mighty Tasman Glacier is 27 kilometres in length and while it slowly carves the valley sides it also provides a landing place for small ski planes and helicopters. The surreal, milky lakes are a memorable feature of the park that visitors on Mount Cook holidays will be captivated by. The white mountain buttercup or Mount Cook Lily grows in profusion in the region, and native birds include the kea, a mischievous green parrot. The fact that the entire area has been designated as a national park is testament to the phenomenal beauty of Mount Cook. The area is regarded as the best climbing region in Australasia and Sir Edmund Hillary conducted many climbs in the area prior to his expedition of Mount Everest in 1953. Of course most tourists on holiday in Mount Cook will not be mountaineers, but they will be equally satisfied by the mountain walks that lead to alpine tarns, herb fields and spectacular glacier views. There are 10 short walks beginning near the village. All tracks are formed and well marked. The Red Tarns Track, Kea Point and the Hooker Valley Track each take around two hours return. The only village within the Mt Cook National park is the tranquil Mt Cook village. Located in the Tasman Valley below the Tasman Glacier, the village has strict limits on accomodation levels so as to minimise human impact on the environment. Early bookings for holidays in Mount Cook are therefore essential.
