Hunter Mountains

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The Hunter Mountains from Frasers Beach Lake Manapouri, Mount Moturau is on the far left and Cone Peak is on the far right Frasers Beach Walk.jpg
The Hunter Mountains from Frasers Beach Lake Manapouri, Mount Moturau is on the far left and Cone Peak is on the far right

The Hunter Mountains of Lake Manapouri, New Zealand, were named by surveyor James McKerrow after the famous anatomist John Hunter. [1] The Hunter Mountain Range covers an area between The South Arm and Hope Arm of Lake Manapouri South to the Green Lake.

The Hunters contains several impressive peaks, 1,495 metres (4,905 ft) Cone Peak, 1,497 metres (4,911 ft) Mount Moturau, 1,639 metres (5,377 ft) Mount Crescent, 1,645 metres (5,397 ft) Mt Burns, 1,695 metres (5,561 ft) Eldrig Peak, the Highest Named Point is 1,749 metres (5,738 ft) Mt Flat, the highest point is an 1,804 metres (5,919 ft) unnamed peak at the head of the Garnoch Burn. Mount Moturau is accessible Via the Bicycle spur track from Hope Arm and Mt Burns is very accessible Via the Borland Saddle Road, built through Fiordland National Park in the 1960s for the construction of the power pylons and power pines for the Manapouri Hydroelectric Power Station, and is open to the public throughout the summer months.

Bust of Hunter in London Bust of John Hunter, Leicester Square (2206660627).jpg
Bust of Hunter in London

Fauna

Giant Snails known as Powelliphanta spedeni are found in the Green Lake area of the Hunter Mountains.

The skink species Oligosoma nigriplantare polychroma (related to the Chatham Islands skink) inhabit the tussock grasslands areas from Lake Manapouri to Lake Monowai.

The Short Horned Grasshopper Alpinacris tumidicauda ranges throughout the Hunter Mountains.

The endemic moth species Pyrgotis consentiens and Proteodes clarkei are found in the Hunter Mountains. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

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 westernmost 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.

Browne Falls

Browne Falls is a waterfall above Doubtful Sound, which is located in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand. In a temperate rain forest, the falls cascade down to the fiord near Hall Arm. Heights of 619 metres and 836 metres have been given for the falls. Their source is a tarn called Lake Browne which when full, overflows down the side of the mountain face. The stream makes 836 m height difference over 1,130 m horizontal difference, thus the mean gradient of stream is 42 degrees. This comparatively low angle makes the falls less impressive.

Fiordland National Park national park in New Zealand

Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is by far the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of 12,607 square kilometres (4,868 sq mi), and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation.

Doubtful Sound / Patea Fjord in New Zealand

Doubtful Sound / Patea is a fjord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. It is located in the same region as the smaller but more famous and accessible Milford Sound. It took second place after Milford Sound as New Zealand's most famous tourism destination.

Lake Manapouri Lake in Southland Region, New Zealand

Lake Manapouri is located in the South Island of New Zealand. The lake is situated within the Fiordland National Park and the wider region of Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.

Manapouri Town in Fiordland, New Zealand

Manapouri is a small town in Southland / Fiordland, in the southwest corner of the South Island, in New Zealand. The township is the westernmost municipality in New Zealand. Located at the edge of the Fiordland National Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Manapouri, close to its outflow into the Waiau River, tourist boat services are based in the town.

Waiau River (Southland)

The Waiau River is the largest river in the Southland region of New Zealand. 'Waiau' translates to 'River of Swirling Currents'. It is the outflow of Lake Te Anau, flowing from it into Lake Manapouri 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the south, and from there flows south for 70 kilometres (43 mi) before reaching the Foveaux Strait 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Tuatapere. It also takes water from Lake Monowai.

Kepler Track

The Kepler Track is a 60 km (37 mi) circular hiking track which travels through the landscape of the South Island of New Zealand and is situated near the town of Te Anau. The track passes through many landscapes of the Fiordland National Park such as rocky mountain ridges, tall mossy forests, lake shores, deep gorges, rare wetlands and rivers. Like the mountains it traverses, the track is named after Johannes Kepler. The track is one of the New Zealand Great Walks and is administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Kepler Challenge

The Kepler Challenge Mountain Run is the premier mountain running event in New Zealand and follows the 60 km Kepler Track through the Fiordland National Park. It has been held annually since 1988, and draws competitors from throughout New Zealand and around the world. Around 450 runners enter the event with nearly all completing the demanding course.

Secretary Island

Secretary Island is an island in southwestern New Zealand, lying entirely within Fiordland National Park. Roughly triangular in shape, it lies between Doubtful Sound in the south and Te Awa-o-Tū / Thompson Sound in the north, with its west coast facing the Tasman Sea. To the east of the island, Pendulo Reach connects Te Awa-o-Tū / Thompson Sound with Doubtful Sound. Steeply sloped, the entirely bush-clad island rises to a chain of several peaks higher than 1000 metres. The highest of these is the 1,196-metre (3,924 ft) Mount Grono, the highest peak in the main New Zealand chain not located in the North or South Island. The island also contains three lakes. The largest, Secretary Lake, over 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, is located beneath Mount Grono at an altitude of 550 metres (1,800 ft).

Wilmot Pass

The Wilmot Pass is a 671 m (2,201 ft) high pass on the main divide of New Zealand's South Island. It connects Doubtful Sound, a deep indentation in the coast of Fiordland, to the valley of the West Arm of Lake Manapouri. The pass is named after E. H. Wilmot, a former surveyor-general of New Zealand, who had noted it while surveying the area in 1897. It lies between Mount Wilmot and Mount Mainwaring. On the east side the Spey River drains to Lake Manapouri and on the west side the Lyvia River drains to Deep Cove.

Kepler Mire

The Kepler Mire, or Dismal Swamp east of Lake Manapouri, is the largest wetland in the Te Anau basin complex in New Zealand, covering more than 900 ha. Like the neighbouring mountain range, it is named in honour of astronomer Johannes Kepler.

Mount Moturau

Mount Moturau is a mountain at height 1,497 m, rising south west of the Hope Arm of Lake Manapouri and clearly visible from Manapouri township. Note: Topographic map C44, Hunter Mountains, GR 2080950E 5497500N. Not named on official mapping pre 10 May 2001.

The Grebe River is a river in Fiordland, New Zealand. It arises north-west of Lake Monowai in an area once part of the lake but cut off by an enormous landslide about 13,000 years ago. The river now flows north, between the Townley Mountains to the west, and the Hunter Mountains to the east, and into Lake Manapouri's South Arm. Its major tributaries are Jaquiery Stream, Florence Stream, Emerald Stream, and Percy Stream, all from the west.

The Spey River is a river in the Southland Region of New Zealand. Its entire length lies within the Fiordland National Park. The Spey rises at the Mckenzie Pass and Murrell's Pass either side of Mt Horatio (1,380 metres, and the river flows in a northeasterly direction, emptying into the West Arm of Lake Manapouri adjacent to the intake of the Manapouri Power Station. The Dusky Track follows the Spey valley for much of the river's length.

The Wapiti River is a river in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It rises in the northern extremity of the Stuart Mountains in Fiordland National Park, the top of its watershed being part of the main divide. Two branches feed Lake Sutherland, the outflow of which flows southwest to Lake Thomson. A further 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) reach of the river heads east to Lake Hankinson, which is separated from the North West Arm of the Middle Fiord of Lake Te Anau by a final 0.6-kilometre (0.4 mi) stretch of the river.

<i>Orthenches semifasciata</i> Species of moth

Orthenches semifasciata is a moth of the family Plutellidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Glyphipterix acronoma</i> Species of moth

Glyphipterix acronoma is a species of sedge moth in the genus Glyphipterix. It is endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Dasyuris octans</i> Species of moth

Dasyuris octans is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This moth is classified as "At Risk, Naturally Uncommon" by the Department of Conservation.

<i>Proteodes clarkei</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Proteodes clarkei is a species of moth in the family Depressariidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in locations around Manapouri in alpine habitats. Both the male and female adults of the species are brightly coloured but the female is brachypterous, that is has reduced wing size in comparison to the male. Adults have been recorded as being on the wing in January and February.

References

  1. Reed, A. W. (2010). Peter Dowling (ed.). Place Names of New Zealand. Rosedale, North Shore: Raupo. p. 176. ISBN   9780143204107.
  2. Philpott, Alfred (1916). "Descriptions of new species of Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 48: 420–423. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  3. A. Philpott (1926). "New Zealand Lepidoptera: Notes and Descriptions". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 56: 396–397. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q63100760.

Coordinates: 45°42′S167°25′E / 45.700°S 167.417°E / -45.700; 167.417