NEW ZEALAND ~ Aoraki Mount Cook National Park - UNESCO ~

... First of three wonderful new National Parks and UNESCO sites👍... with the highest mountain... longest glacier and far from city lights, the stargazing here is magnificent... a must-visit both day and night... there are three bouncy suspension bridges and the possibility of seeing kea (native New Zealand parrots) in the car park before or after a hike... famous by Sir Edmund Hillary when he trained here before his historic first ascent of Mt. Everest... today, Mount Cook's South Ridge bears Sir Hillary's name since August 2011... Thanks a lot Helen! (✿ ♥‿♥)

"The Hooker Valley and Sealy Tarn with Aorika Mount Cook and the Southern Alps in the background." Photo: Warren Jacobs
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is a rugged land of ice and rock located on South Island and contains more than 140 peaks standing over 2,000m (6,600 ft) and 72 named glaciers, which cover 40 percent of its 700 square kilometres (170,000 acres).

The Park is named after the highest mountain, which is recorded at 3,724 metres tall. The European name, Mt Cook, was given to honour Captain James Cook who first surveyed New Zealand, despite Captain Cook never seeing the mountain. In 1998, the mountain was officially named Aoraki Mt Cook to incorporate the historic Maori name for the mountain.

The park was established in 1953 and "Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand"  became a UNESCO WHS Site in 1990 and incorporates Fiordland, Westland, Mount Aspiring and Mount Cook National Parks.

Stamp:

Geography & Meteorology (Seas, lakes & rivers) (Issued 18-05-2016)