Mount Cook Range | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Peak | Aoraki / Mount Cook |
Elevation | 3,724 m (12,218 ft) |
Coordinates | 43°35′42″S 170°08′31″E / 43.5951°S 170.1419°E / -43.5951; 170.1419 |
Dimensions | |
Length | 16 km (9.9 mi) |
Naming | |
Etymology | After Kirikirikatata, Aoraki's grandfather according to legend[1] |
Native name | Kirikirikatata (Māori) |
Geography | |
Location in New Zealand | |
Range coordinates | 43°40′S 170°08′E / 43.667°S 170.133°E / -43.667; 170.133 |
Mount Cook Range (Māori: Kirikirikatata; officially gazetted as Kirikirikatata / Mount Cook Range) is an offshoot range of the Southern Alps that forks from it at the Green Saddle[2] and descends towards Lake Pukaki, encompassing Aoraki / Mount Cook[3] and standing adjacent to the Tasman Glacier.[4]
In 1889, the highest point of the range was 3763m,[5] but this has since been reduced by avalanches and erosion.[6]
In 2013, the range was officially renamed Kirikirikatata / Mount Cook Range as part of a number of name changes within the Mount Cook region, following a 2012 proposal. According to Māori creation myths, Kirikirikatata was the grandfather of Aoraki, both of whom turned into mountains; Kirikirikatata into the Mount Cook Range, and Aoraki into Mount Cook.[7][8]