They run along almost the entire length of the South Island, approximately 500 km from northeast to southwest.
Highest point: Aoraki / Mount Cook (3,724 m), the highest mountain in Australasia.
There are about 17 peaks above 3,000 meters.
The mountain range separates the wet, forested west (West Coast) from the drier east (Canterbury Plains).
There are impressive glaciers, such as the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier.
Large parts are protected within national parks, including Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park and Westland Tai Poutini National Park.
The Alps are relatively young (formed in the last 5 million years) and offer spectacular landscapes that are popular for mountaineering, skiing, heliskiing, and tourism.
They form a natural barrier and an iconic symbol of New Zealand.
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