Aoraki Area
Aoraki/Mount Cook
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Aoraki Area Office
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Phone:
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+64 3 435 1819
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Fax:
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+64 3 435 1895
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Email:
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mtcookvc@doc.govt.nz
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Address:
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66 Bowen Drive
Aoraki/Mt Cook 7946
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Postal Address:
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Mount Cook National Park
PO Box 5
Aoraki/Mt Cook 7946
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Aoraki Area manages the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, which is part of Te Wahipounamu - South Westland World Heritage Area, in recognition of its outstanding natural values.
Glaciers cover over 40% of the 70,696 hectares that comprise the park and there are 19 peaks over 3,000 metres including of course New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki/Mt Cook.
Conservation highlights
The main focus of conservation work in the park is around tourism. The area office acts as the local council and the department looks after the village infrastructure including water, sewerage, rubbish, roads and amenities. Other roles include providing a search and rescue service for climbers and trampers who get into strife. Up to five people a year lose their lives in the park, and an average season has around 20-30 rescues.
The park has limited tracks, but does have 18 huts to service, and a duty officer system offers 24 hour coverage to those in the huts.
Pest control makes up the bulk of the conservation programmes, along with community relations and concessions.
Recreation and historic
There are 18 huts in the park; most are sited high in the mountains for use by climbers. Plateau Hut sits at the edge of the aptly named Grand Plateau and is a base for most people wanting to climb Aoraki/Mt Cook, Mt Tasman and other mountains in the area. Mueller Hut set at 1800m on the Sealy Range, just behind the Aoraki/Mt Cook Village, is reached after a strenuous three hour walk. In summer, anyone with good fitness and appropriate tramping gear can make the climb up and stay the night feasting on the wonderful sunsets and sunrises the area is known for.
Other huts such as Sefton Biv and Hooker Hut date back to the very early 1900's, and are wonderful examples of the early huts carried up plank by plank on men's backs and firmly anchored into the landscape.
Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park is also a wonderful place for day walks, soaking up the glorious 360 degree views of the Southern Alps and glaciers perched high on mountain sides and plunging downwards to the valley floors. Tasman Glacier is the longest glacier in Australasia and in summer, visitors to the area can take a boat trip to touch icebergs and view the glacier up close.
Pest control
Weed control is one of the bigger conservation programmes in the park. Each year a team of people tackle the wild cherry, lupins, gorse, broom and wild heather that have colonised areas of the park. Thar are also controlled from helicopter, and by recreational hunters on foot. Chamois also live high in the mountainous areas. Rabbit and hare exist in big numbers, and possums are slowly encroaching. A community stoat control programme supports the kaki recovery programme and about 20 members of the community are involved with this.
Working with communities
Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park Visitor Centre is open 364 days per year, closed on Christmas Day. The centre has information on all things to do with the park and has an excellent shop stocking conservation products.
Up to 50 schools a year visit the park to take part in an educational talk on a variety of topics including glaciation and search and rescue.
The village is nestled in the heart of the park, and in order to live there, members of the community must have someone in the household who works for one of the concessionaires or for DOC. The village has a population of 150 permanent residents, and this swells to around 300 in summer with temporary staff. The whole village and community revolve around tourism and visitors.
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