What is the highest mountain in the Southern Alps (New Zealand)?

The highest mountain in the Southern Alps of New Zealand is Aoraki / Mount Cook. The peak rises to 3,724 metres on New Zealand’s South Island and is the country’s highest mountain.

Aoraki / Mount Cook is a three-summit massif, consisting of Low Peak, Middle Peak and High Peak. Glaciers surround it, including the Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the southwest. The mountain sits along the Alpine Fault, where tectonic uplift continues to raise the Southern Alps while erosion and avalanches reshape them.

In Ngāi Tahu tradition, Aoraki is an ancestor who was transformed into stone after his canoe became stranded and he and his brothers were frozen by the south wind. The English name Mount Cook was assigned in 1851 to honour Captain James Cook. New Zealand officially recognized both names under the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.

The first known ascent was completed on December 25, 1894, by Tom Fyfe, George Graham and Jack Clarke. Aoraki is sometimes confused with Mount Tasman, but Mount Tasman is lower and is New Zealand’s second-highest mountain.