New Zealand - Mount Cook National Park – by helicopter

Mount Cook or Anoraki is New Zealand’s highest peak and the focal point for the Southern Alps. Its summit actually has three peaks rising 12050ft above sea level. It was 12083ft until 1991 when an avalanche containing 10 million cubic metres of snow, ice and rock crashed down the eastern face of the summit. Mt.Cook National Park covers around 70,000 hectares of which over a third is permanent ice and snow and contains some of the most spectacular features of the Alps. The range also includes 22 other peaks in excess of 10010ft including the Country’s second highest Mt.Tasman.

The Tasman Glacier is one of five major glaciers in the region and flows for 17 miles, the ice in some parts reaching depths of over 8000ft. Mt Cook National Park has the most spectacular and expansive alpine scenery outside the Himalayas and the only way to truly experience it to the full is from the air. Helicopter flights over the region take to past the most incredible sites in the Park – the Tasman Glacier, the Main Divide, Franz Josef Glacier and Mt.Cook itself. Some tours even include a snow landing. Once you have experienced a flight over Mt.Cook National Park all other expeditions pale in comparison. Awesome stuff!

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New Zealand top highlights and attractions

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• Mount Cook National Park – by helicopter
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