A Love Letter to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

Dear Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park,

Do you believe in love at first sight? I do—in fact, I’m quite sure you stole my heart even before I got my first proper look at you.

I felt that initial hint of a spark in my soul during the drive in, shortly after passing Peter’s Lookout at Lake Pukaki. By the time we crossed the first one-lane bridge, I knew it was true love.

My dearest Aoraki/Mount Cook, you are a land of stone and ice.

You are known far and wide for your sky-scraping, snow-capped summits and icy glacial lakes.

You are revered for your remoteness, your ruggedness.

You are the prized conquest of mountaineers and adventurers.

Still, I see the softness in you.

I see the way your gentle morning light casts a delicate golden glow over the land, illuminating every hill and valley.

I see the way your waterfalls kiss the faces of your magnificent cliffs, and the way your rivers dance beneath the sky.

I see the way your dark skies fill with stars each night, twinkling someplace a million miles away from here to remind us of the beauty and mystery of the universe.

Beyond that, I see the incommunicable beauty of your essence.

You are a place of quietude, stillness, and reflection.

You are a place for dreamers, lovers, and explorers to connect with Mother Earth.

You are a place to move, and a place to rest.

You are a place to shed what doesn’t serve us, and a place to freely be our most authentic selves.

Your stories, your legends, your untouched corners—these qualities blend together into an aura of mystery and majesty that fills your spaces. The effects of this are apparent on anyone who is fortunate enough to cross your threshold.

Beautiful Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, there is so much I could say to express my affection and adoration for you—but instead, I’ll say only this: thank you for reminding me that my heart is capable of achieving true peace.

Eternally and gratefully yours,
Kelly

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(Well, it’s approximately one month into the coronavirus pandemic and this is apparently where I’m at: writing a love letter to a mountain. How are y’all doing?)