Two million years ago a relentless and endless battle began between the Pacific crust and the Indian-Australian crust. The resulting rapid mountain building created one of the world's most spectacular alpine faults, the Southern Alps. This uplift continues today at about 10mm per year.

According to Maori legend, the canoe Araiteuru came to the South Island and was wrecked at Matakaea (Shag Point) on the East Coast, south of Oamaru.  Remains of the cargo can still be seen today, taking the form of the Moeraki Boulders.

A group of survivors ventured inland to explore.  Aoraki was a young boy, and liked to sit on the shoulders of his grandfather, a chief.  However, as the first rays of dawn caught the party, they were turned into stone, and Aoraki, the highest member of the party, became the highest peak of the land.  Aoraki literally translated means ‘cloud-piercer’, a name that is still very relevant today.

In the 1850's, Captain John Stokes of the survey ship Acheron sighted the mountain and called it Mount Cook in honour of explorer James Cook. Surveyor GJ Roberts fixed the height in 1881 at 12,349 feet (3,764 m).

The first attempt to climb Aoraki / Mount Cook was made in 1882 by an Irishman, the Reverend W S Green and two Swiss guides.  Although his party climbed to within 200m of the top, it was not until 1894 that the summit was reached by three New Zealanders, Tom Fyfe, Jack Clarke and George Graham, all of whom worked in the Hermitage area.