Best of New Zealand - 22nd February - Mount Cook

Tuesday 22^nd February – Mount Cook

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand, reaching a height of 3,754 metres (12,316 ft). It lies in the Southern Alps, the mountain range which runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. Aoraki / Mount Cook consists of three summits lying slightly south and east of the main divide, the Low Peak, Middle Peak and High Peak, with the Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the west.

Aoraki is the name of a person in the traditions of the Ngāi Tahu iwi; an early name for the South Island is Te Waka o Aoraki(Aoraki's Canoe). In the past many believed it meant "Cloud Piercer",a romantic rendering of the name's components: ao(world, daytime, cloud, etc.) and raki or rangi(day, sky, weather, etc.). Historically, the Māori name has been spelt Aorangi, using the standard Māori form.

While the mountain was known to Māori centuries before, the first European known to see Aoraki / Mount Cook was Abel Tasman, on December 13, 1642 during his first Pacific voyage. The English name of Mount Cook was given to the mountain in 1851 by Captain John Lort Stokes to honour Captain James Cook who first surveyed and circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand in 1770. Captain Cook did not sight the mountain during his exploration.

Following the settlement between Ngāi Tahu and the Crown in 1998, the name of the mountain was officially changed from Mount Cook to Aoraki / Mount Cook to incorporate its historic Māori name, Aoraki. As part of the settlement, a number of South Island place names were amended to incorporate their original Māori name. Signifying the importance of Aoraki / Mount Cook, it is the only one of these names where the Māori name precedes the English. Under the settlement the Crown agreed to return title to Aoraki / Mount Cook to Ngāi Tahu, who would then formally gift it back to the nation. Neither transfer has yet occurred; Ngai Tahu can decide when this will happen.

According to Māori legend, Aoraki was a young boy who, along with his three brothers, were the sons of Rakinui, the Sky Father. On their voyage around the Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, their canoe became stranded on a reef and tilted. Aoraki and his brothers climbed onto the top side of their canoe. However, the south wind froze them and turned them to stone. Their canoe became the Te Waka o Aoraki, the South Island. Aoraki, the tallest, became the highest peak, and his brothers created the Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, the Southern Alps.

The Ngāi Tahu, the main iwi (tribe) of New Zealand's southern region, consider Aoraki as the most sacred of the ancestors that they had descended from. Aoraki brings the iwi with its sense of community and purpose, and remains the physical form of Aoraki and the link between the worlds of the supernatural and nature.

Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Arrowtown is located on the banks of the Arrow River. There is also road access directly to Queenstown via the Shotover Gorge and a third route via the picturesque Lake Hayes.

During the high point of the gold rush the population of Arrowtown rose to over 7,000 and became the centre of a larger municipality, which covered the new settlements of Macetown, Skippers and Bullendale (today only ghost towns). Arrowtown was constituted as a borough in 1867, and became part of the Queenstown - Lakes District in the local government reorganisation of 1989.

The town reached a population low of fewer than 200 people in the 1960s, before gaining popularity again. According to the 2006 New Zealand census, the usually-resident population of Arrowtown was 2,151, a 27.1% increase since 2001. The town has seen considerable growth and construction, but it falls under strict appearance covenants applied by the local authority that aim to preserve the appearance of the town. There are many well preserved buildings used by European and Chinese/Shinto Japanese immigrants dating from the gold mining days of the town.

Omarama is a small township (population 231) at the junction of State Highways 8 and 83, near the southern end of the Mackenzie Basin, in the South Island of New Zealand. Omarama is in the Waitaki District, in the historic Province of Otago. The Ahuriri River is a short distance to the north of the township. Omarama is Māori for "Place of Light", a reference to its extraordinarily pure and clear sky, which also makes it of great interest to astronomers. Benmore Peak Observatory is located approximately 13 km north of Omarama, atop the nearby Benmore Range.

Although traditionally sheep country, Omarama area farms, along with those within the rest of the Mackenzie Basin, have rapidly converted to predominantly dairy farming, due to falling sheep meat and wool prices, and the recent boom in dairy product earnings. This conversion has necessitated major changes to the local environment, with iconic tussock lands being ploughed and replaced by pasture, which has been facilitated by new irrigation schemes. Large centre pivot irrigators and private canal networks now dominate much of the landscape.

Recently however, diminishing returns on dairy-based agriculture have led to farmers investigating alternative methods and practices, some now experimenting with biofuel crops.

Due to its immense value and long history, farming and agriculture is likely to continue as the area's predominant activity for the foreseeable future.

Due to the strong gliding conditions and spectacular scenery in the Omarama area, as well as the entire Mackenzie Basin, it is known as a world-class gliding location, gaining fame among sail-plane pilots around the world after hosting the 1995 World Gliding Championships.

Pilots come to Omarama to experience strong lee wave conditions, ridge soaring and thermal flying. It is common for Omarama - based gliders to soar hundreds of kilometres along the Southern Alps each day. In ideal conditions, it is possible for gliders to reach distances in excess of 1000 km. Several national and world gliding records have been achieved from Omarama, and the prevailing conditions have attracted record seekers such as Steve Fossett.

The Journey

Our first stop is in the old town on Arrowtown, then it is onwards through the Gibbston Valley to the winery for a short tour and tasting. Our next stop is at Mrs Jones, a local fresh fruit stand, here you can have fresh fruit ice cream and stock up on fruits. Omarama is our stop for lunch, a self service restaurant with a selction of soup hot dishes and sandwiches and bakery goods. The final part of the journey today takes us towards Mount Cook, along the way we shall be stopping to allow those going to take the flight over Mount Cook to join the aircraft, we then continue on and pick them up again at the Mount Cook airport. Our hotel The Hermitage, is a short drive away. We have dinner (19.00) this evening, a buffet style with a great selection of Salads, Hot food, and an array of desserts, which I am sure you shall all enjoy.