Which mountain range is the highest in New Zealand and contains Mount Cook?

The Southern Alps are New Zealand's highest mountain range and include Aoraki / Mount Cook, the country's highest peak.

The range extends for about 500 kilometres along New Zealand's South Island, forming its mountainous spine. It includes the island's Main Divide, a watershed separating rivers flowing toward the wetter West Coast from those draining toward the eastern plains and Pacific Ocean.

The Southern Alps rose as the Pacific Plate and Indo-Australian Plate moved against each other along the Alpine Fault. Uplift has continued for millions of years, while glaciers, avalanches and heavy rainfall have carved the sharp peaks and deep valleys seen today.

Aoraki / Mount Cook stands at 3,724 metres and has three summits. The Mount Cook Range is a smaller offshoot that contains the peak, but the broader range—and the canonical quiz answer—is the Southern Alps. The name is officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana.