Glide from our world-renown site in Omarama and savour the view of New Zealand highest peak, Mt Aoraki/Cook, the magnificent surrounding glacial lakes born from the trauma of tectonic forces and other natural geomorphological processes that has also given birth to our mighty Waitaki River and our beautiful shoreline, home to a rich biodiversity populated by penguins and seals.

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By hiking, biking or driving through our majestic park, you have a unique chance to experience New Zealand's biggest “nightmare”, the Alpine Fault, and how it has influenced the formation of the South Island and our district. The Alpine Fault horizontal movements, which is about 30 m per 1000 year, is one of the fastest by global standards. The Southern Alps have been uplifted vertically by an amazing 20 kilometres over the last 12 million years, and it is only the fast pace of erosion that has kept their highest point below 4000 metres. Explore and get a deeper understanding of our people and how our ancestors have learned to live with nature, how our gastronomy came to be.