A mountaineer recounts five seasons of climbing and exploration in New Zealand's Southern Alps, describing routes, attempts on Aorangi (Mount Cook) and neighboring summits, glacier travel on the Hooker, Tasman, Murchison and Onslow glaciers, and the region's geography, climate, vegetation, and glacial formations. The narrative mixes practical guidance on equipment, camps, and river and ice crossings with observational natural history, photographic illustrations, and a survey-derived map, while examining moraine deposition, snow-line variation, and the impressive scale and character of the alpine landscape.