Aoraki / Mount Cook
New Zealand's highest peak, glacial lakes, and the world's clearest skies.
Aoraki / Mount Cook is the roof of New Zealand — 3,724 metres of ice and rock that dominates the Southern Alps. But you don't need to be a mountaineer to feel its power. The Hooker Valley Track is a gentle walk through alpine meadows to a glacier lake, and the night sky here is in a class of its own.
The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is one of only a handful in the world. On a clear night, the Milky Way is so vivid it casts shadows. For American travellers — especially from light-polluted cities — this is often the most unexpectedly moving part of a New Zealand journey.
Highlights
Best seasons: October–April for hiking, year-round for stargazing
Journeys featuring Aoraki / Mount Cook
Explore these journeys
Bay of Islands
The Masterpiece
The definitive New Zealand odyssey. A 15-day symphony of 'Super Lodges' and private aviation, hand-crafted for those who refuse to compromise on icons.
Queenstown
The Expedition
A journey into the profound silence of the wilderness. Navigate the deep-blue reaches of the fjords by private charter and retreat to tented luxury accessible only by air.
Christchurch
The Southern Heart
The Heart of New Zealand is the South Island with its extreme scenery. From the wild blue sea of Kaikoura to heli-hiking at Franz Josef Glacier and big-sky stargazing at Mount Cook — a feast of experiences in a land forgotten by time.
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