History

In the 1850's, Captain John Stokes of the survey ship Acheron sighted the mountain and called it Mount Cook in honour of explorer James Cook. Surveyor GJ Roberts fixed the height in 1881 at 12,349 feet (3,764 m).

Aoraki Mount Cook has long been synonymous with exploration and adventure and in 1882 the first attempt to climb the mountain was made by an Irishman, the Reverend W S Green and two Swiss guides.  Although his party climbed to within 200m of the top, it was not until 1894 that the summit was reached by three New Zealanders, Tom Fyfe, Jack Clarke and George Graham, all of whom worked in the Hermitage area.

Sir Edmund Hillary first visited Aoraki Mount Cook in the summer of 1939 - 40. Keen to summit Mount Cook, Hillary's chance came in the summer of 1947. After meeting Harry Ayers in the Malte Brun Hut, the two went on to successfully climb the iconic mountain.

Ayers and Hillary then teamed up with Mick Sullivan and Ruth Adams in 1948 to attempt an unchartered and difficult climb to the south ridge of Mount Cook. When the foursome finally reached the snow below the ice cap, they spotted mirror signals coming from The Hermitage 9,000 feet below. They snapped photos at the summit and waved to the Hermitage staff.

Discover the incredible history of the Mount Cook region at the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre Museum.