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Aoraki-Mount Cook
Aoraki means "Cloud Piercer" in the Ngā;i Tahu dialect of the
Mā;ori language. Historically, the Mā;ori name has been
spelt Aorangi in the "canonical" Mā;ori form.
While the mountain was known to Mā;ori centuries before, the first European known to see Aoraki/Mount Cook was Abel Tasman, on December 13, 1642 during his first Pacific voyage. The English name of Mount Cook was given to the mountain in 1851 by Captain John Lort Stokes to honour Captain James Cook who first surveyed and circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand in 1770. Captain Cook did not sight the mountain during his exploration. Extra Information The Southern Alps on the South Island were formed by tectonic uplifting and
pressure as the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates collided along the
island's western coast. The uplifting continues, raising Aoraki/Mount Cook
an average of 7 millimetres (0.28 in) each year. However, erosive forces
are also powerful shapers of the mountains. The severe weather is due to
the mountain's jutting into powerful westerly winds of the Roaring Forties
which run around approximately 45°S latitude, south of both Africa and
Australia. The Southern Alps are the first obstacle the winds encounter
after South Africa and Australia, having moved east across the Southern
Ocean.
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 "Aoraki-Mount Cook - Click for larger image")
321 South Road, Caversham, Dunedin
New Zealand
Ph +64 3 487 7799 Cell 021 369 266
www.hakasafari.co.nz