Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park is a mystical, breathtaking spanse of land rich with legends and an adventurous history. You can almost feel the dreams of the men and women who have explored these peaks and the land around it, almost hear the crunch of snow beneath the feet of those who first dared to climb. There is only a small village near the base of Aoraki/Mt. Cook with a backpackers lodge, some houses and the fantastic Hermitage Hotel, surrounded by 140 peaks over 200 metres high (6,600 ft) (Mt. Cook being the tallest in all of New Zealand) and 72 named glaciers covering 40 percent of the parks 170,000 acres.
As I did a little research, I discovered some awesome women's history concerning Mt. Cook and its peaks. In 1910, the first woman summited Mt. Cook, Freda du Faur. She was also the first person to traverse all three of its peaks along with her guides, Peter and Alex Graham in 1913. I have to say I am honoured to live in a country where women in the past have strapped on men's trousers and ascended peaks in a time before women in America were even allowed to vote. In saying that, New Zealand was the first sovereign state in the entire world to grant women the right to vote in 1893. That's 27 years before women could vote in America! New Zealand has already had two women prime ministers between 1997 and 2008 whereas in America, the fact that Sarah Palin was going to possibly be the next vice president a few years ago was massive news. When I lived in the Philippines as a kid, after Estrada was ousted, Gloria Arroyo became the president -and she wasn't the first woman to be president in the Philippines either, Corazon Aquino was president in the late 1980's. By saying all of this, I am not dissing America for being a little behind in the women's history category but I think as Americans, we can and should look back at history and learn from other countries who are even younger than America. Hell, no matter where you're from you can learn from others. I also just found out this weekend that New Zealand has only had electricity for 100 years, which means kiwi women were able to vote before there were light switches and power sockets in their houses. That correlation might not make any sense but for some reason it amazes me.
Some of that might not have anything to do with our recent trip to Mt. Cook but all of that has been on my mind while researching Mt. Cook's history as well as New Zealand's, plus, everyone can use a bit of women's history once in a while, even if you're a dude. Speaking of history, here is the Maori legend for Aoraki/Mt. Cook:
The Maori legend of Mount Cook is the story of Aoraki and his three brothers. They were the sons of Rakinui (the Sky Father) and were on a voyage around Papatuanuku (the Earth Mother) when disaster struck and they became stranded upon a reef. The voyagers climbed on to the top side of the canoe and after a time the south wind froze them and turned them into stone. Their canoe became the South Island (Te Waka o Aoraki is the oldest name for the South Island) and Aoraki who stood tallest of the brothers is now seen as the majestic Aoraki Mount Cook with the Southern Alps as his brothers and other members of this crew.
Another important person in the history of not only Mt. Cook and New Zealand, but peaks around the world is Sir Edmund Hillary. This man is an all-time kiwi legend. He climbed Mt. Cook in 1948 and was the first person to ascend Mt. Everest in 1953. His son also summited Everest in 1990, making them the first father and son to reach the top. Hillary also had many expeditions to the South Pole as well as the Yangtze River. He also did a lot of humanitarian work with the Sherpas in the Himalayans and has written several books. Like I said, the man is a legend. Hillary was an extremely modest man, which I think is why he is remembered so fondly for not only his achievements, but for proving that the average kiwi bloke from a tiny country at the bottom of the world can do great things. Here is what Hillary had to say about himself:
"I don't know if I particularly want to be remembered for anything. I have enjoyed great satisfaction from my climb of Everest and my trips to the poles. But there's no doubt, either, that my most worthwhile things have been the building of schools and medical clinics. That has given me more satisfaction than a footprint on a mountain."
"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals. The intense effort, the giving of everything you've got, is a very pleasant bonus."
"In some ways I believe I epitomize the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed."
My favourite quote by Hillary has to be this:
"I am a lucky man. I have had a dream and it has come true, and that is not a thing that happens often to men."
And so, here are the photos from our most recent trip to Aoraki/Mt. Cook, this time full of rain and haze, but not any less beautiful than a day full of sunshine.
"The explorers of the past were great men and we should honour them. But let us not forget that their spirit lives on. It is still not hard to find a man who will adventure for the sake of a dream or one who will search, for the pleasure of searching, not for what he may find."
-Sir Edmund Hillary
Here's to the dreamer, the searcher and the adventurer in us all.
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