2007 Aoraki/Mt Cook
One of the best known natural icons in New Zealand, Aoraki/ Mount Cook is also a dominant feature of one of our most stunning natural landscapes, the Southern Alps.
Issue information
Standing at 3754 metres high Aoraki/ Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand.
To Kài Tahu Whànui (the largest Maori tribe in the South Island), Aoraki/ Mount Cook represents the most sacred of ancestors. It was Aoraki who lead the fateful voyage that resulted in the creation of Te Waipounamu (the South Island).
This mountain was given its European name in 1851 in honour of Captain James Cook who was the first person to circumnavigate the islands of New Zealand.
