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MOUNT COOK

June 27, 2016 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

New Zealand (3,754 m) – Sacred Mountain of the Maori and Highest Peak in New Zealand

Mount Cook, located close to the center of New Zealand’s south island, is the tallest peak of this nation as well as the South Pacific.  It is also one of the most sacred places of the Maori tribesmen, and has been a place of religious pilgrimage since pre-European times.  It is named in honor of James Cook, and is also known as Aoraki, a personage in Maori mythology.

According to Maori legend, New Zealand’s south island was originally a canoe sailing around the world with four brothers who were sons of two deities.  After catching on a reef, the canoe and the brothers were turned to stone.  The youngest, Aoraki, became the mountain.  Mount Cook was first explored by Europeans in 1642 by Abel Tasman.  It was first scaled in 1894, with a more famous climb by Edmund Hilary in 1948.

Mount Cook stands at the heart of New Zealand’s beautiful “Southern Alps”, named in honor of the Alps in Europe.  It is one of the most popular outdoor recreation areas in a country well known for its love of the outdoors.  Although popular with hikers, it is a difficult climb thanks to the year round glaciers on the peak.  It is located about 100 miles west of Christchurch in the middle of Aoraki National Park.

Filed Under: Mountain, Pagan Tagged With: Australia/Pacific

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

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Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

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Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

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Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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