The Aoraki Mount Cook Mackenzie region is situated in the centre of New Zealand’s South Island. It is around 2.5 hours from Christchurch and 2.5 hours from Queenstown when travelling by road.
(For a large map of the Mackenzie region within the South Island, please click here)
The region may be accessed through a number of airport gateways. International airports at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch & Queenstown all provide convenient and regular access to The Mackenzie.
Air Canterbury provides a corporate air shuttle service direct from Christchurch to Mount Cook. There are various road transport options available also.
New Zealand is a great place in which to drive, but visitors should be aware of our road rules. As well as the obvious ones, such as driving on the left side of the road, we have some more unusual ones, mainly to do with right of way. Visit the Land Transport Safety Authority's Overseas Drivers section for some excellent advice for international drivers.
New Zealand standard time is GMT plus 12 hours. From the first Sunday in October to the third Sunday in March, New Zealand enjoys 'daylight saving'. This extends the daylight hours and changes the time difference to GMT plus 11 hours.
