Today we are going to talk about the highest mountain located in New Zealand and which has a height of 3770 meters above sea level. Its about Mount CookIt's a peak belonging to the New Zealand Alps, a series of mountains that run along the entire western coast of New Zealand's South Island. In addition to being a major tourist destination, it's a sought-after area for the world's top mountaineers. It has been the external location for some famous film scenes, such as Lord of the Rings.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about Mount Cook and its characteristics.
Key features
It is located within the Aoraki-Mount Cook National Park. This park was inaugurated in 1954 and recognized as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. This park is home to more than 140 peaks over 2.000 meters high and about 72 glaciers that cover half of the entire territory. The entire territory of this park is 700 square kilometers. Additionally, the Mount Denali In Alaska it is also famous for its imposing altitude.
This area is usually accessed via the Mount Cook Highway. This highway was constructed in 2010 following a large-scale environmental impact assessment. All of these New Zealand Alps were formed as a result of the tectonic pressure caused by the collision of the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates. These two tectonic plates had a convergent boundary that corresponds to the entire western coastline of the island. The process of tectonic plate subduction continues to reach Mount Cook at an average rate of 7 mm per year. Although the speed of displacement is negligible for humans, it is geologically significant.
This entire area is hit by strong erosions that mold and shape the mountains. On Mount Cook we see severe weather due to the continuous action of powerful winds. with western component called roaring winds. These winds blow along 45 degrees south latitude.
Climate of Mount Cook
As we have mentioned before, this mountain has an adverse climate with somewhat extreme conditions. These extreme conditions are the most attractive for all mountaineers who want to overcome challenges. And it is that the ocean winds are known by the name of Roaring Forties and they cause a great Föhn effect in the area. Thanks to this effect, very high levels of rainfall are generated that are around 7.600 mm per year. Thanks to these high levels of rainfall, tropical forests can develop on the coast that are fed by glaciers.
Discovery of Mount Cook
This mountain was discovered by Europeans. The first European to observe it was Abel Tasman on January 11, 1643. This occurred during his initial exploration of the Pacific, and the mountain was named after Captain John Lort Stokes in 1851 to honor Captain James Cook, who was the first to explore. for the first time most of the islands of New Zealand in the year 1771. Keep in mind that this man did not observe the mountain during his explorations.
Due to the mythological importance of Aoraki Mount Cook, it was the first of those names composed where the Maori name follows the English. One of the reasons why this mountain is so well known is because of the demand of mountaineers since its origins. The first European attempt to reach the summit of Mount Cook was made by the Irish Reverend William S. Green, the Swiss hotelier Emil Boss and the Swiss mountain guide Ulrich Kaufmann in April 1883 by the glaciers on March 2, 1882, by the Tasman and Linda glaciers, Hugh Logan creator of the guide on Mount Cook thinks they stayed less than 50 meters from the top.
The first accident where a mountaineer died on this peak occurred in 1914 on February 22. On this occasion, 3 climbers were swept away by an avalanche from the Linda glacier.
Flora and fauna
As expected in these types of places where environmental conditions are more adverse, there is a wealth of flora and fauna. Considering that biodiversity levels decrease as we rise in altitude, Mount Cook has the majority of its biodiversity below the tree line. This is because vegetation requires suitable environmental conditions to thrive, and therefore, the fauna that accompanies it.
As we tend at altitude, environmental conditions become more adverse and negative for the development of these living beings. The levels of solar radiation, temperature, low pressure levels, slope and geology of the terrain are less conducive to the development of vegetation. If vegetation cannot develop, the first level of the food chain, the primary consumers or herbivores, will not be able to survive. Obviously, without these primary consumers, secondary consumers and predators cannot survive. Under stricter environmental conditions, the food chain cannot develop, and biodiversity decreases.
For all these reasons, most of the national park is above the tree line. The flora is composed primarily of alpine plants, such as Lyall's ranunculus, the world's largest buttercup, large daisies, and various grasses. Bird species found include the kea and the pipit, among others. Tahr, red deer, and chamois can also be seen.
The park is very popular with New Zealanders. Many people go there to hike, ski or hunt. The Department of Conservation manages the park.
As you can see, Mount Cook is a place with great tourist attraction since nature and the challenge for mountaineers is unmatched. I hope that with this information you can learn more about Mount Cook and its characteristics.