29-746: The Craigieburn Range forms part of the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island . The range is located on the south banks of the Waimakariri River , south of Arthur's Pass and west of State Highway 73 . The Craigieburn locality is adjacent to the Craigieburn Forest Park . There are a number of named peaks located within the Craigieburn Range (north to south): The Craigieburn Valley Ski Area
58-686: A population of 213 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 12 people (6.0%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 3 people (1.4%) since the 2006 census . There were 27 households, comprising 99 males and 114 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.87 males per female. The median age was 29.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 24 people (11.3%) aged under 15 years, 87 (40.8%) aged 15 to 29, 93 (43.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 6 (2.8%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 53.5% European/ Pākehā , 2.8% Māori , 8.5% Pasifika , 25.4% Asian , and 14.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer
87-537: A spa near Lewis Pass , the town of Arthur's Pass , and Mount Cook Village . Major crossings of the Southern Alps in the New Zealand road network include Lewis Pass ( SH 7 ), Arthur's Pass ( SH 73 ), Haast Pass ( SH 6 ), and the road to Milford Sound ( SH 94 ). New Zealand has a humid maritime, temperate climate with the Southern Alps lying perpendicular to the prevailing westerly flow of air. Annual precipitation varies greatly across
116-407: Is accessible via Windwhistle . 43°12′S 171°38′E / 43.200°S 171.633°E / -43.200; 171.633 Southern Alps The Southern Alps ( Māori : Kā Tiritiri o te Moana ; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana ) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island , reaching its greatest elevations near
145-494: Is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers 4.26 km (1.64 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 200 as of June 2024, with a population density of 47 people per km . It is part of the Mackenzie Lakes statistical area . Before the 2023 census, Mount Cook Village had a larger boundary, covering 9.68 km (3.74 sq mi). Using that boundary, Mount Cook Village had
174-478: Is frequently visible in summer across Canterbury and North Otago . The 'Nor'wester' is a foehn wind similar to the Chinook of Canada, where mountain ranges in the path of prevailing moisture laden winds force air upwards, thus cooling the air and condensing the moisture to rain, producing hot dry winds in the descending air lee of the mountains. The Southern Alps lie along a geological plate boundary , part of
203-621: Is located about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) outside the village, connected via a walking track. Commercial operations run guided walks, 4WD safaris, boating on the Tasman glacier lake , horse treks, fishing, and scenic flights including landing on the glaciers. These are based at the hotel, departing and returning to the hotel's main entrance. A number of nearby walks and climbs ranging from 10 minute bush walks to multi-day tramping tracks and routes can be explored from Mount Cook Village. There are three short walking tracks through forest areas within
232-404: Is located east of Hamilton Peak. The Broken River Ski Area is located east of Nervous Knob, and north of Mount Wall. A third ski field, Mount Cheeseman , is located east of Mount Cockayne and north of the mountain from which it took its name. Also Porters ski area at the south end of the range. All four ski fields are accessible from State Highway 73. A fifth ski field, Mount Olympus Ski Area ,
261-472: Is located within New Zealand's Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park at the end of State Highway 80 , only 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of the summit of the country's highest mountain, also called Aoraki / Mount Cook , in the Southern Alps . Being situated inside a National Park , it is not possible to own property in Mount Cook Village; however, because of the year-round operation of
290-445: Is sometimes used as an alternative name for the settlement. The hotel also owns and operates chalets and a lodge & motel with options ranging from backpacker accommodation through to family units. There are two more motels in the village, and a total of four restaurants or pubs, two of which are inside the main hotel complex. The buildings and motel units are connected via paved footpaths. The small White Horse Hill camping ground
319-599: The Marlborough , Canterbury and Otago regions to the southeast and the Tasman and West Coast regions to the northwest. The Māori name of the range is Kā Tiritiri o te Moana , meaning "the Mirage of the Ocean". The English explorer James Cook bestowed the name Southern Alps on 23 March 1770, admiring their "prodigious height". They had previously been noted by Abel Tasman in 1642, whose description of
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#1732802585851348-650: The Pacific Ring of Fire , with the Pacific Plate to the southeast pushing westward and colliding with the northward-moving Indo-Australian Plate to the northwest. Over the last 45 million years, the collision has pushed up a 20 km thickness of rocks on the Pacific Plate to form the Alps, although much of this has been eroded away. Uplift has been most rapid during the last 5 million years, and
377-479: The great spotted kiwi (Apteryx haastii) , the South Island kākā (Nestor meridionalis meridionalis) , and the orange-fronted kākāriki (Cyanoramphus malherbi) . The kea can be found in the forested foothills as well as higher, colder elevations. It is the world's only alpine parrot , and was once hunted as a pest. The mountains are inaccessible and retain their natural vegetation. A large proportion of
406-579: The Alpine Fault to dip-slip motion at these subduction zones to the north creates the Marlborough Fault System , which has resulted in significant uplift in the region. In 2017 a large international team of scientists reported they had discovered beneath Whataroa , a small township on the Alpine Fault, "extreme" hydrothermal activity which "could be commercially very significant". The mountains are rich in flora with about 25% of
435-727: The South Island's west coast is often translated as "a land uplifted high". Following the passage of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 , the official name of the range was updated to Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana . The Southern Alps run approximately 500 km northeast to southwest. Its tallest peak is Aoraki / Mount Cook , the highest point in New Zealand at 3,724 metres (12,218 ft). The Southern Alps include sixteen other points that exceed 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in height (see NZ mountains by height ). The mountain ranges are bisected by glacial valleys, many of which are infilled with glacial lakes on
464-500: The census's question about religious affiliation, 52.1% had no religion, 28.2% were Christian , 1.4% were Hindu , 1.4% were Muslim , 9.9% were Buddhist and 1.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 45 (23.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 12 (6.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $ 35,200, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 12 people (6.3%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
493-468: The conifer snow totara (Podocarpus nivalis) and Carex sedge grasses. Wildlife of the mountains includes the endemic rock wren (Xenicus gilviventris) . There are also a number of endemic insects adapted to these high altitudes, like flies, moths, beetles, bees, and the mountain stone wētā , which can freeze solid over winter to survive the alpine conditions. The beech forests of the lower elevations are important habitat for several birds, such as
522-586: The country's plant species being found above the treeline in alpine plant habitats and grassland with mountain beech forest at lower elevations (of the eastern side but not in Westland ). The cold windswept slopes above the treeline are covered with areas of fellfield . To the east, the Alps descend to the Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands . Plants adapted to the alpine conditions include woody shrubs like Hebe , Dracophyllum , and Coprosma ,
551-436: The current hotel. The 1960s and 1970s saw significant extensions to the hotel and Mount Cook Village, including water mains, sewerage treatment, local streets, and the sealing of State Highway 80, which greatly improved access. A local fire brigade was established in 1976. The official name of the settlement was amended to a dual name , Aoraki / Mount Cook, by the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 . Mount Cook Village
580-562: The eastern side including Lake Coleridge in the north and Lake Wakatipu in Otago in the south. According to an inventory conducted in the late 1970s, the Southern Alps contained over 3,000 glaciers larger than one hectare, the longest of which – the Tasman Glacier – is 23.5 kilometres (14.6 mi) in length which has retreated from a recent maximum of 29 kilometres (18 mi) in the 1960s. Settlements include Maruia Springs,
609-409: The fuel price reflects the remote location. Mount Cook Village operates a small school with a roll as low as a dozen children, the only school in New Zealand inside a national park. The first building at the location of Mount Cook Village was the second Hermitage hotel, built in 1913 and opened in 1914; however, that building burned to the ground in 1957 and was replaced in 1958 by what later became
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#1732802585851638-467: The hotel and motels, the village has a small permanent population of around 250. All buildings and facilities operate on concessions and leases from the government. The village has no grocery stores apart from a small in-hotel convenience store. The nearest supermarket is 65 kilometres (40 mi) away in Twizel , the closest town. There is a self-service petrol pump behind the hotel complex; however,
667-630: The mountains continue to be raised today by tectonic pressure, causing earthquakes on the Alpine Fault and other nearby faults. Despite the substantial uplift, most of the relative motion along the Alpine Fault is transverse , not vertical . However, significant dip-slip occurs on the plate boundary to the north and east of the North Island, in the Hikurangi Trough and Kermadec Trench . The transfer of motion from strike-slip on
696-481: The prevailing westerly winds, the range creates excellent wave soaring conditions for glider pilots. The town of Omarama , in the lee of the mountains, has gained an international reputation for its gliding conditions. The prevailing westerlies also create a weather pattern known as the Nor'west arch , in which moist air is pushed up over the mountains, forming an arch of cloud in an otherwise blue sky. This weather pattern
725-710: The range is well protected by national parks—notably the Westland Tai Poutini National Park , Mount Aspiring National Park , and Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park —or by protected areas such as Lake Sumner Forest Park . Indigenous plant life is affected by introduced animals such as red deer ( Cervus elaphus ), chamois ( Rupicapra rupicapra ), and Himalayan tahr ( Hemitragus jemlahicus ), all of which have at times been targeted for culling. Likewise, native birds and reptiles are vulnerable to introduced predators. Mount Cook Village Mount Cook Village , officially Aoraki / Mount Cook ,
754-525: The range's western side. The name "Southern Alps" generally refers to the entire range, although separate names are given to many of the smaller ranges that form part of it. The range includes the South Island's Main Divide , which separates the water catchments of the more heavily populated eastern side of the island from those on the west coast. Politically, the Main Divide forms the boundary between
783-537: The range, from 3,000 millimetres (120 in) at the West Coast , 15,000 millimetres (590 in) close to the Main Divide, to 1,000 millimetres (39 in) 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of the Main Divide. This high precipitation aids the growth of glaciers above the snow line . Large glaciers and snowfields can be found west of or on the Main Divide, with smaller glaciers farther east (See Glaciers of New Zealand ). Because of its orientation perpendicular to
812-483: The village and on its outskirts, as well as the starting points of longer walking tracks ranging from the popular and easy Hooker Valley Track to more strenuous walks such as the steep track to Sealy Tarns . The village is home to the park's visitor centre, and the starting point for climbers, hunters and trampers visiting the many huts. The YHA backpacker hostel is due to close permanently in December 2021 due to
841-464: Was that 177 (93.7%) people were employed full-time, and 9 (4.8%) were part-time. Mount Cook Village caters to a steady flow of around 250,000 visitors per year with a wide range of facilities and accommodation. An international style hotel, The Hermitage , the name of which dates back to the original hotel built in 1884, is the only prominent larger building in the village and a popular location, especially for international tourists. The Hermitage
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