Cecil Peak

Last updated

Cecil Peak is a mountain in the Wakatipu Basin, New Zealand and reaches a height of 1,978 metres. [1] It is on the south side of Lake Wakatipu south-southwest of Queenstown, and is highly prominent from around this area. [2]

The Wakatipu Basin is a plain surrounded by mountains in Central Otago, in the southern South Island of New Zealand.

New Zealand Country in Oceania

New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

Lake Wakatipu lake in Otago Region, New Zealand

Lake Wakatipu is an inland lake in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of the Otago region, near its boundary with Southland. Lake Wakatipu comes from the original Māori word Whakatipu wai-māori.

Contents

View from Fernhill of Cecil Peak (Walter Peak on right). Ka Kamu-a-Hakitekura is the Maori name for both mountains. Cecil-Peak-and-Walter-Peak-with-snow.jpg
View from Fernhill of Cecil Peak (Walter Peak on right). Kā Kamu-a-Hakitekura is the Māori name for both mountains.

Vegetation is mainly grass and tussock (as it is under a pastoral lease) [3] with trees near the waterline. Hidden Island is one of four islands in Lake Wakatipu and sits very close to the shoreline of Cecil Peak. On 27 March 2010 a local band performed an outdoor concert in a natural amphitheatre on the peak playing songs from the band Pink Floyd. [4]

Pink Floyd English rock band

Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, extended compositions, and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history.

Name

Both Cecil Peak and the nearby mountain of Walter Peak were named after William Rees' eldest sons' first given names by the surveyor James McKerrow in 1862. [5]

Walter Peak (New Zealand)

Walter Peak is a mountain located near Queenstown, New Zealand. It has a height of 1,800 metres (5,906 ft).

William Gilbert Rees Welsh-Australian cricketer

William Gilbert Rees was an explorer, surveyor, and early settler in Central Otago, New Zealand. He and fellow explorer Nicholas von Tunzelmann were the first Europeans to settle the Wakatipu basin. Rees is regarded as the founder of Queenstown.

James McKerrowFRAS was an astronomer, Surveyor-General of New Zealand, and Chief Commissioner of Railways in New Zealand.

See also

Related Research Articles

Aoraki / Mount Cook Mountain in the Southern Alps of New Zealand

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height since 2014 is listed as 3,724 metres, down from 3,764 m (12,349 ft) before December 1991, due to a rockslide and subsequent erosion. It lies in the Southern Alps, the mountain range which runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. Aoraki / Mount Cook consists of three summits, from South to North the Low Peak, Middle Peak and High Peak. The summits lie slightly south and east of the main divide of the Southern Alps, with the Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the southwest.

Geography of New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country located in the south-western Pacific Ocean, near the centre of the water hemisphere. It consists of a large number of islands, estimated around 600, mainly remnants of a larger land mass now beneath the sea. The two main islands by size are the North Island and the South Island, separated by the Cook Strait; the third-largest is Stewart Island, located 30 kilometres off the tip of the South Island across Foveaux Strait. The three largest islands stretch 1,500 kilometres across latitudes 34° to 47° south.

Southern Alps Mountain range on the South Island in New Zealand

The Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern Alps" generally refers to the entire range, although separate names are given to many of the smaller ranges that form part of it.

Queenstown, New Zealand Resort town in Otago, New Zealand

Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It has an urban population of 15,850, making it the 27th-largest urban area in New Zealand. In 2016, Queenstown overtook Oamaru to become the second-largest urban area in Otago, behind Dunedin.

The Remarkables mountain range

The Remarkables are a mountain range and skifield in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. Located on the southeastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, the range lives up to its name by rising sharply to create an impressive backdrop for the waters. The range is clearly visible from the nearby town of Queenstown.

Fiordland geographic region of New Zealand

Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western-most third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes, and its steep, glacier-carved and now ocean-flooded western valleys. The name "Fiordland" comes from a variant spelling of the Scandinavian word for this type of steep valley, "fjord". The area of Fiordland is dominated by, and very roughly coterminous with, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's largest National Park.

Lake Wanaka lake in Otago Region, New Zealand

Lake Wanaka is located in the Otago region of New Zealand, at an altitude of 278 meters. Covering an area of 192 km2 (74 sq mi), it is New Zealand's fourth largest lake, estimated to be more than 300 m (980 ft) deep. Its name is Māori, a corruption of Oanaka.

Mataura River river in New Zealand

The Mataura River is in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 240 kilometres (150 mi) long.

Dart River (Otago) river in Otago, New Zealand

The Dart River, Te Awa Wakatipu in Māori language, flows through rugged forested country in the southwestern South Island of New Zealand. Partly in Mount Aspiring National Park, it flows south-west and then south for 60 kilometres (37 mi) from its headwaters in the Southern Alps and the Dart Glacier, eventually flowing into the northern end of Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy. It was named in the 1860s by a runholder, William Gilbert Rees, who chose the name for the river's swift flow.

TSS <i>Earnslaw</i>

The TSS Earnslaw is a 1912 Edwardian vintage twin screw steamer plying the waters of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand. It is one of the oldest tourist attractions in Central Otago, and the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere.

Lake Gunn is a lake in the South Island of New Zealand, located at 44°53′S168°05′E.

Frankton, Otago human settlement in New Zealand

Frankton is a suburb of the town of Queenstown in the South Island of New Zealand, formerly a separate settlement.

Lake Fergus lake in New Zealand

Lake Fergus is a lake in the South Island of New Zealand, located at 44°50′42″S168°6′40″E.

Pigeon Island (New Zealand) New Zealand

Pigeon Island is located in at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand near the township of Glenorchy. It is 170 hectares in size and is the largest island in the lake. In 1884, during Queen Victoria's reign, it was gifted by the Crown as a reserve to the people of Queenstown district for their use and enjoyment.

Queenstown Hill mountain in New Zealand

Queenstown Hill, also known by its Māori name of Te Tapu-nui, is a small 907 metres (2,976 ft) mountain near Queenstown, New Zealand in the South Island.

Queenstown Trail New Zealand cycling and tramping trail

The Queenstown Trail is a cycle and walking trail funded as one of the projects of the New Zealand Cycle Trail (NZCT) system in Otago, New Zealand. It links the towns of Queenstown, Arrowtown and the area of Gibbston. It is at least 110 km in length but is not linear and instead follows the terrain often near rivers and lakes to link key places in a series of tracks that also access public land. In some places it also passes through private land such as working farms and users are encouraged to stay on the trail. The trail is a joint venture between the Government, Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Queenstown Trails Trust.

Eyre Creek (New Zealand) river in Southland Region, New Zealand

The Eyre Creek is a river in the Southland Region of New Zealand’s South Island. It is a tributary of the Mataura River with a braided channel and with its confluence near the small town of Athol. It rises on the eastern side of Jane Peak in the Eyre Mountains south-west of Lake Wakatipu. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of the endangered black-billed gull. West of Athol it is crossed by State Highway 6 and the Around the Mountains Cycle Trail.

Hidden Island (New Zealand) island in New Zealand

Hidden Island is located in the middle of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand and is very close to Cecil Peak. Its name is because from many parts of Queenstown the island is invisible.

Humboldt Mountains (New Zealand)

The Humboldt Mountains or Humboldt Range are one of the many ranges which make up the Southern Alps in the South Island of New Zealand. They lie to the northwest of Lake Wakatipu in the Otago Region. Parts of the range lie within Fiordland National Park, and they form the southern extremity of Mount Aspiring National Park. The range was named by early explorer James McKerrow, and like many geographic features worldwide, it was named in honour of notable scientist Alexander von Humboldt.

References

  1. ↑ Malcolm, McKinnon. "Otago places - Wakatipu basin". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  2. ↑ "Ngai Tahu Names" (PDF). Te Karaka Issue 44, pg 13. tekaraka.co.nz. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  3. ↑ "Crown Pastoral Land Tenure Review" (PDF). Land Information New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-17.
  4. ↑ "Rocking it on Cecil Peak". Scoop Media.
  5. ↑ Jardine, D.G. (1978). Shadows on the Hill. A.H. & A.W. Reed Ltd. p. 185. ISBN   0589010093.

Coordinates: 45°06′32″S168°37′42″E / 45.108831°S 168.628463°E / -45.108831; 168.628463

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.