The Craigieburn Range forms part of the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island. The range is located on the south banks of the Waimakariri River, south of Arthur's Pass and west of State Highway 73. The Craigieburn locality is adjacent to the Craigieburn Forest Park.
There are a number of named peaks located within the Craigieburn Range (north to south): [1]
The Craigieburn Valley Ski Area is located east of Hamilton Peak. The Broken River Ski Area is located east of Nervous Knob, and north of Mount Wall. A third ski field, Mount Cheeseman, is located east of Mount Cockayne and north of the mountain from which it took its name. Also Porters ski area at the south end of the range. All four ski fields are accessible from State Highway 73. [1] A fifth ski field, Mount Olympus Ski Area, is accessible via Windwhistle. [4]
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill, typically rising at least 300 metres (980 ft) above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in mountain ranges.
Mount Hutt rises to the west of the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand, above the braided upper reaches of the Rakaia River, and 80 kilometres west of Christchurch. Its summit is 2190 metres above sea level.
The Brindabella Range, commonly called The Brindabellas or The Brindies, is a mountain range located in Australia, on a state and territory border of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The range rises to the west of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and includes the Namadgi National Park in the ACT and the Bimberi Nature Reserve and Brindabella National Park in New South Wales. The Brindabellas are visible to the west of Canberra and form an important part of the city's landscape.
Olympus, or Chionistra, at 1,952 metres (6,404 ft), is the highest point in Cyprus. It is located in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus. Mount Olympus peak and the "Troodos Square" fall under the territory of Platres in Limassol District. A British long range radar currently operates at Mount Olympus' peak. It has a highland warm-summer mediterranean climate.
Broken River is a club skifield in South Island, New Zealand. Run by the Broken River Ski Club, it is located at about 110 km (68 mi) from Christchurch. The skifield claims to often have the longest ski season anywhere in Australasia. Also, by connecting with Craigieburn Valley, it claims to have the largest skiable area in New Zealand, at 900 hectares.
Mount Dobson is a ski resort on the South Island of New Zealand. It is located near Tekapo, and features a chair lift, a T-bar and a beginner's ski tow, serving 14 trails over an area of 400 hectares. The resort caters primarily to skiers of intermediate ability, with a 1:2:1 ratio of beginner/intermediate/advanced slopes.
Porters, is a commercial ski resort just over an hour's drive (98 km) west from Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. Originally functioning as a club skifield, it has one beginner magic carpet, one platter tow, one chairlift and three t-bars. The difficulty of the slopes is distributed as 15% beginner, 35% intermediate and 50% advanced. Modern grooming equipment is used, and snowmaking facilities operate along the main pistes along the chairlift.
In New Zealand, a club skifield is a small ski resort run by a ski club to provide affordable skiing to its members. While members of the public can ski, members of the club receive heavily discounted rates, in exchange for a yearly membership fee and usually several days of voluntary work maintaining the resort.
New Zealand is a major skiing destination in the Southern Hemisphere, due to its high latitude, mountainous terrain, and well-developed economy and tourism industry. The ski season in New Zealand starts in mid June and in good winters can run through to the start of November.
Mount Olympus Ski Area, dubbed "playground of the gods", is a club skifield in Craigieburn Range, on New Zealand's South Island. Near the town of Windwhistle, and in the vicinity of other club fields such as Mount Cheeseman and Broken River, it is approximately 2 hours' drive from Christchurch. The skifield is run by the Windwhistle Ski Club. Ranging in elevation from 1430m to 1880m, the terrain distribution is 10% beginner, 55% intermediate and 35% advanced. There are four rope tows, and with a bit of walking, 60 hectares of terrain is available.
Craigieburn Forest Park is a protected area in the South Island of New Zealand, adjacent to Arthur's Pass National Park to the north.
Windwhistle is a small farming settlement in the Selwyn District of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 77 near the Rakaia Gorge. Windwhistle is 81 kilometres drive to the west of Christchurch and 22 kilometres north of Methven. Windwhistle's name comes from the way the wind sounds when the Canterbury north west wind blows.
Flock Hill station is located in New Zealand's South Island high country, in the Waimakariri River basin, 75 minutes drive from Christchurch on State Highway 73 which is now commonly known as The Great Alpine Highway between Castle Hill Station and Cass near Lake Pearson.
Sigaus villosus is New Zealand's largest grasshopper. It is only found in the central mountains of the South Island. The genus Sigaus is endemic to the New Zealand. Like all of New Zealand sub-alpine and alpine grasshoppers S. villosus has a 2 or 3 years life cycle. The eggs must ‘overwinter’ before they will hatch. Hoppers are found throughout the year and adult grasshoppers can be found throughout the New Zealand summer between December and April. Adult S. villosus do not overwinter.
The Nightcap Range is a mountain range located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, in the area between Lismore and the New South Wales-Queensland border. It includes Mount Burrell and Mount Nardi as well as containing the Nightcap National Park. The range is mainly covered with relict warm temperate rainforest and contains several rare and/or endemic species, most notably the Nightcap oak and the Minyon quandong.
Mount Peel is a mountain located in South Canterbury, New Zealand. It consists of three peaks, Mount Peel, Middle Mt Peel and Little Mt Peel/Huatekerekere. Mt Peel is 1,743 metres (5,719 ft) tall and is owned by the Department of Conservation and Mt Peel Station. It lies just south of the Rangitata river and is 22 kilometres (14 mi) north-west of Geraldine.
Mount Odin is the most prominent peak, though not the highest, in the Asgard Range, of Victoria Land, Antarctica. It rises over 2,000 m (6,600 ft) just south of Lake Vanda. It was named by the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (VUWAE) (1958–59) for the Norse god Odin.
The Two Thumb Range is a range of mountains in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located to the east of Lake Tekapo and has several peaks which rise to around 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). The southern end of the range contains one of Canterbury's main skifields, Mount Dobson.