mt cook

Events In History

7 November 1970

Last unclimbed face of Aoraki/Mt Cook conquered

Long-haired Christchurch mountaineers John Glasgow and Peter Gough became the first people known to have scaled the 2000-m Caroline Face of Aoraki/Mt Cook. They declared it a ‘triumph for the hippies’. Read more...
3 December 1910

First female ascent of Aoraki/Mt Cook

Freda du Faur was the first female to complete the ascent of Aoraki/Mt Cook. Read more...
25 December 1894

First ascent of Aoraki/Mt Cook

At 1.30 on the afternoon of Christmas Day 1894, three young men became the first to stand atop Aoraki/Mt Cook, the highest mountain in the colony. Read more...

The legendary mountaineer, adventurer and philanthropist – whose familiar, craggy face beams out from the $5 note – is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. His ascent of Mt Everest with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953 brought him worldwide fame – literally overnight.
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Page 3 - From Everest to the South PoleOn 29 May – four days before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – Hillary and the experienced Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mt Everest and became the first men