.LynEve

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Aoraki/Mt Cook -3754m (12316 feet). New Zealand's highest peak, part of the Southern Alps. Aoraki was 20 m (65 ft) higher until a large section of rock and ice fell off the northern peak in January 1991. Aoraki means "Cloud Piercer" in the Kāi Tahu dialect of the Māori language. The English name honours Captain James Cook, who first surveyed and circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand in 1770. The average annual rainfall in the surrounding areas is 7.6 m (300 inches), so viewing it on a day as clear as this is a bonus. I now need to go back with my better camera :)