Aotearoa 22 / Aoraki

“he kapua kei runga i Aoraki, whakarewa whakarewa”

the cloud that floats aloft Aoraki, for ever fly, stay aloft

Aoraki is the highest peak in New Zealand. Located in Kā Tiritiri o te Moana (the Southern Alps), it stands at 3,724m.

On the third day of our trip we walked the Hooker Valley track, a 10km return hike from our campsite to the Hooker Lake and the base of Aoraki/viewing ground for the other surrounding mountains.

To Ngāi Tahu, the principal Māori iwi of the South Island, Aoraki is the most sacred of ancestors, and provides a sense of communal identity, solidarity and purpose.

Aoraki was one of the four sons of Raki, the Sky Father. He and his brothers travelled down in a canoe (waka) from the heavens to meet their father’s new wife, Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother. Unable to find new land, they set off for their celestial home, however their waka fell back to sea and turned to earth and stone, creating the South Island. The four brothers were also turned to stone, and their figures form the existing mountain range - Aoraki (Mt Cook), Rakiroa (Mt Dampier), Rakirua (Mt Teichelmann) and Rarakiroa (Mt Tasman).

The mountain is the physical manifestation of Aoraki - a remaining link between the natural and supernatural world - and it is Aoraki who gives the mountain power over life and death.

Aoraki means ‘cloud in the sky’. The mountain is often covered in cloud, and it is said that Aoraki will choose when to emerge from his cloak of mist - we were blessed to have seen this under the moonlight at the start of the trek.

Some of these images are available to be ordered as custom made prints.

Proceeds from the sale of these prints will be donated to the Te Manahuna Aoraki Project. You can read all about their conservation work at https://www.temanahunaaoraki.org/