14. Mt. Cook

At 12,219 ft, Mt.Cook, located in the Canterbury region on South Island, is the highest peak in NZ, and is a popular mountaineering destination.

Part of the fame of the area is attributed to mountaineer enthusiast Sir Edmund Hillary, a local mountaineer who summited Cook in 1947. His future fame is attributed to the distinction of being the first man to summit Everest in 1953.

Mount Cook is known throughout the world for its alpine beauty and remoteness. At the foot of the mountain sits the village of Mount Cook where we (and everyone else who comes to this area) stayed. On every side of the village/valley, the Southern Alps scrape the sky, with Mt Cook surrounded by 22 peaks exceeding elevations of 10,000 feet.Read more