Mackenzie District
The Mackenzie District brings together part of the Southern Alps including New Zealand's highest mountain peak, Mount Cook, and the valley known as the Mackenzie Basin, more commonly known as "Mackenzie Country". This area contains Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki and the town Twizel.
The district was named after James Mckenzie, a Scottish-born shepherd living in the South Island who is reputed to have used the area for pasturing stolen sheep herds. He was convicted of stealing sheep in 1855 and, despite several escape attempts, spent nine months in jail before being pardoned due to flaws in the police enquiry and trial (see Biography on Dictionery of NZ).