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Aoraki / Mt Cook

Aoraki / Mt Cook reflected milk pond flat Lake Pukaki on a very fine late afternoon. I have rarely seen the lake this mirror like.

 

This is a stitched pano of 6 hand-held portrait images.

 

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. It's height, as of 2014, is listed as 3,724 metres. It is situated in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island.

 

Lake Pukaki is the largest lake in the area, and it proudly shows off New Zealand’s tallest peak, Aoraki/ Mount Cook, from the many lookout points around its shores. The water colour of the lake is a bright turquoise due to glacial flour, made from extremely fine rock particles that have come from the surrounding glaciers. The lake is fed at its northern end by the braided Tasman River, which has its source in the Hooker and Tasman Glacier. When the sun hits the surface of the lake, it reflects off the particles transforming it to a brilliant blue. The combination of the magnificent lake, surrounding peaks and wide open skies are a dream for photographers and pose the difficult challenge of capturing the grandeur of the ever-changing landscape.

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Uploaded on August 23, 2025
Taken on August 20, 2025