Mount Cook National Park

Mount Cook National Park, national park in New Zealand in the west central region of South Island. Established in 1953, the park covers an area of 710 sq km (270 sq mi) and extends for 80 km (50 mi). The park protects the Southern Alps' Cook Matte, Brunner, and Leibig mountain ranges, which contain 140 peaks taller than 7,000 ft (equivalent to 2,134 m). Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand at 3,754 m (12,316 ft), lies within the park. Its Maori name, Aorangi, means cloud-piercer. New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary trained on Mount Cook for his climb of Mount Everest in 1953. The park also contains numerous glaciers, including the Tasman, 29 km (18 mi) long, the Murchison, 18 km (11 mi) long, the Mueller, 13 km (8 mi) long, and the Hooker, 11 km (7 mi) long. The Tasman and Hooker glaciers feed Lake Pukaki, one of the many lakes inside the park. Wild goat, chamois, and deer are found within the park.

Mount Cook National Park is connected to Westland National Park by the Copland Pass in the Main Divide of the Southern Alps. Both parks were designated World Heritage sites in 1986 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Four years later, Mount Cook, Westland, Mount Aspiring, and Fiordland national parks along with several other protected areas were incorporated into a special conservation region, Te Wahipounamu (Southwest New Zealand). Te Wahipounamu in turn was declared a World Heritage Site in the same year. UNESCO's World Heritage list recognizes the world's unique natural and cultural places.