Discover New Zealand - Aoraki Mount Cook - Silver Coin

Te Waka-o-Aoraki is an early name for the South Island of New Zealand. According to local legend, the island is an overturned canoe, and the rugged peaks of the Southern Alps are Aoraki and his three brothers, turned to stone by the south wind. Local iwi (tribe) Ngāi Tahu considers Aoraki to be the most sacred of the ancestors from whom they descend. The mountain is the physical embodiment of this ancestor and is a link between the supernatural and natural worlds.

Featuring a beautiful illustration of Aoraki Mount Cook by NZ artist Ben Timmins, this coin is the second in the ‘Discover New Zealand’ series, a stream of coins showcasing New Zealand’s unique natural beauty. The coins in the series are united by a specially designed kaitiaki - guardian - that sits at the base of each coin. The kaitiaki not only acts as a unifying feature that acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua (the people of the land), but is a minder or caregiver, protecting the taonga (treasure) encapsulated by the coin.