Most of New Zealand's tallest mountains are 200 mi/320 km southwest of Christchurch in the Southern Alps, including the country's highest, Mount Cook (12,345 ft/3,827 m), now also called by its Maori name, Aoraki. From Mount Cook village, there are several long and short walks that take you close to forests, mountains and glaciers. The Tasman Glacier is the largest of several glaciers in the park, but it's sometimes not as appealing to the eye as the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.
Scenic flights in helicopters and planes are offered from Mount Cook Airport and other nearby airports. They're an excellent way to view the mountain scenery, and some of them land on glaciers. Be aware that weather conditions change quickly in the mountains, so flight-seeing trips can be grounded.
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