Story: Mountaineering

Aoraki/Mt Cook, 1875

Aoraki/Mt Cook, 1875

Aoraki/Mt Cook quickly became the focus of early mountaineering in New Zealand. Not only was it the tallest peak, but its spectacular position at the head of Lake Pūkaki made it a magnet for climbers and artists alike. This lithograph is by W. M. Hodgkins, father of the artist Frances Hodgkins. He sketched it on a visit in 1875, showing Aoraki/Mt Cook with the Hooker Glacier in the foreground and the lower slopes of Mt Sefton on the left.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: PUBL-0016-32
Chromolithograph by William Mathew Hodgkins

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

John Wilson, 'Mountaineering - Aoraki/Mt Cook', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/10481/aorakimt-cook-1875 (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by John Wilson, published 24 Sep 2007, updated 1 Feb 2017