Aoraki Mount Cook is the outcome of the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates colliding for many millions of years. The tallest mountain in New Zealand – rising 3764m almost directly out of the sea…
Aoraki
To Ngai Tahu, Aoraki represents the most sacred of ancestors, from whom the tribe is descended from and who provide the iwi with its identity and meaning. The ancestor embodied in the mountain is the physical manifestation of Aoraki, the link between the supernatural and the natural world.
Carving of Aoraki and his brother mountains, Aoraki Mount Cook Visitor Centre - © Cliff Whiting