New Zealand Alps

Southern Alps map: Aoraki/Mount Cook, the parks and the bases

The Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana run about 500 km down the South Island of New Zealand, from Nelson Lakes National Park in the north-east to near Milford Sound in the south-west. The highest stretch lies between Arthur’s Pass and Haast Pass, with Aoraki/Mount Cook (3,724 m) in the middle of it. This map marks 47 places you are likely to visit: peaks, lakes, glaciers, viewpoints, car parks and the villages you stay in.

Four national parks cover most of them. Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park holds the highest peaks and the Hooker and Tasman valleys. Westland Tai Poutini, over the Main Divide on the West Coast, has the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. Arthur’s Pass National Park straddles SH73 over the pass itself, and Mount Aspiring National Park lies to the south-west near Wānaka. The usual bases are Aoraki/Mount Cook Village, Twizel and Lake Tekapo on the eastern side, Franz Josef and Fox Glacier in the west, Arthur’s Pass village, and Wānaka. No road crosses the range between Aoraki/Mount Cook and the West Coast glaciers: the drive goes round by Haast Pass.

  • Peaks, sights and glaciers
  • Lakes
  • Viewpoints
  • Huts and places to stay
  • Car parks and trailheads
  • Villages and towns

Map tiles and place coordinates from OpenStreetMap contributors; White Horse Hill Campground from DOC. Tracks and roads close for floods, snow and rockfall, so check DOC and NZTA Journeys before you set out. Updated November 2026.

Every place on the map

Peaks, sights and glaciers

Lakes

Viewpoints

Huts and places to stay

Car parks and trailheads

Villages and towns

Southern Alps map questions

Where is Mount Cook?

Aoraki/Mount Cook stands in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, in the middle of the Southern Alps on the South Island of New Zealand. The summit is at about 43.595° S, 170.142° E. Aoraki/Mount Cook Village sits at the end of SH80, about 4 hours by car from Christchurch and 3 hours 10 minutes from Queenstown, by the Mackenzie tourism board’s figures.

Where are the Southern Alps?

They run down the South Island of New Zealand for about 500 km, from Nelson Lakes National Park in the north-east to near the entrance of Milford Sound in the south-west. The highest ground lies near the western side, and the Main Divide along the crest separates rivers that flow east from those that flow to the West Coast.

What are the tallest mountains in New Zealand?

Aoraki/Mount Cook is the tallest at 3,724 m, the height a University of Otago-led survey confirmed in 2013. Around it stand Mount Tasman (3,497 m), Mount Dampier (3,440 m) and Mount Vancouver (3,309 m). The highest peak outside the Aoraki/Mount Cook area is Mount Aspiring / Tititea at 3,033 m. Every New Zealand peak over 3,000 m is in the Southern Alps.

Is it easy to drive from Queenstown to Mount Cook?

For most drivers, yes. The Mackenzie tourism board gives about 3 hours 10 minutes from Queenstown to Aoraki/Mount Cook Village, roughly 258 km from Queenstown Airport. Drive on the left, and fill up in Twizel: the pump in the village is self-service and takes cards only. SH80 into the park can close for snow, so check NZTA Journeys in winter.

Which roads cross the Southern Alps?

Three state highways cross the Main Divide: SH7 over Lewis Pass, SH73 over Arthur’s Pass (920 m) and SH6 over Haast Pass / Tioripatea (about 562 m), the lowest of the three. SH94 to Milford Sound crosses further south. No road crosses between Aoraki/Mount Cook and the West Coast glaciers, so that drive goes round by Haast Pass.