Mount Christina | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 2,474 m (8,117 ft) [1] [2] |
Prominence | 1,076 m (3,530 ft) [2] |
Isolation | 19.89 km (12.36 mi) [2] |
Listing | Highest mountains of New Zealand |
Coordinates | 44°47′35″S168°02′54″E / 44.793133°S 168.04847°E [2] |
Naming | |
Etymology | Christina McKerchar Gillow |
Geography | |
Interactive map of Mount Christina | |
Location | South Island |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | Southland [2] |
Protected area | Fiordland National Park |
Parent range | Darran Mountains |
Topo map(s) | NZMS260 D41 [3] Topo50 CB09 |
Geology | |
Rock age | 136 ± 1.9 Ma |
Rock type | Gabbronorite, dioritic orthogneiss |
Climbing | |
First ascent | 1926 |
Mount Christina is a 2,474-metre-elevation (8,117-foot) mountain in Fiordland, New Zealand.
Mount Christina is the southernmost peak of the Darran Mountains and is situated in the Southland Region of South Island. It is set within Fiordland National Park which is part of the Te Wahipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Site. [2] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Hollyford River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises nearly 2,000 metres (6,562 feet) above the Hollyford Valley in two kilometres. The mountain was named in 1870 by James McKerrow for Christina McKerchar (1838–1928), who later became the wife of George Gillow. [3] Christina was believed to be a friend of McKerrow's wife, Martha. [4] McKerrow had first seen the mountain from Mount Eglinton in 1863. [3] The first ascent of the summit was made in 1926 by Bob Sinclair, Ken Roberts, Harry Slater, George Moir, and Bill Grave. [5]
Climbing routes on Mount Christina: [5]
Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Christina is located in a marine west coast climate zone. [6] Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountain, where the air is forced upward by the mountains (orographic lift), causing moisture to drop in the form of rain and snow. This climate supports small unnamed glaciers on the north slope. The months of December through February offer the most favourable weather for viewing or climbing this peak. [7]
Fiordland, is a non-administrative geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western 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" derives from an alternate spelling of the Scandinavian word for steep glacial valleys, "fjord". The geographic area of Fiordland is dominated by, and roughly coterminous with, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's largest national park.
Fiordland National Park is a national park in the south-west corner of South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area covering 12,607 km2 (4,868 sq mi), and a major part of the Te Wāhipounamu a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in 1990. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation. The southern ranges of the Southern Alps cover most of Fiordland National Park, combined with the deep glacier-carved valleys.
The Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka is in the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for 72 kilometres (45 mi) through Fiordland, its sources being close to the Homer Tunnel and in Gertrude Valley in the southern Darran Mountains.
The Hollyford Track is a tramping track in New Zealand. Located at the northern edge of Fiordland, in the southwestern South Island, it is unusual among Fiordland's major tracks in that it is largely flat and accessible year-round. It follows the Hollyford River which in turn follows the course of the Hollyford Valley.
Lake McKerrow lies at the northern end of Fiordland, in the southwest of New Zealand's South Island. The lake runs from southeast to northwest, is 15 kilometres (9 mi) in length, and covers 28 km2 (11 sq mi).
Lake Alabaster / Wāwāhi Waka, also known by the Māori name of Waiwahuika, lies at the northern end of Fiordland, in the southwest of New Zealand's South Island. The lake runs from northeast to southwest, is five kilometres (3.1 mi), and covers seven km2 (2.7 sq mi).
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).
Lake Marian is an alpine lake at the southern end of the Darran Mountains in the Fiordland National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The lake is located just above the treeline in a hanging valley leading northwest from the Hollyford Valley near The Divide pass. The valley is sheltered by steep snow-covered peaks of over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) on all sides apart from the entrance.
Mount Tūtoko is the highest peak in Fiordland National Park, in southwest New Zealand. It lies between the Hollyford Valley and Milford Sound, 15 kilometres due north of the Homer Tunnel at the northern end of the Darran Mountains. The glacier-covered mountain rises to a height of 2,723 metres (8,934 ft) and is visible from the Hollyford Track. Two slightly lower summits lie just to the south of the main peak.
State Highway 94 is a New Zealand state highway connecting the large Southland town of Gore with one of New Zealand's most popular destinations, Milford Sound. It also passes the significant townships of Lumsden and Te Anau as well going through the Homer Tunnel. The road also goes through Fiordland and crosses the Main Divide of the Southern Alps.
The Hunter Mountains of Fiordland, New Zealand, were named by surveyor James McKerrow after the famous anatomist John Hunter. The Hunter Mountain Range covers an area between The South Arm and Hope Arm of Lake Manapouri south to the Green Lake.
The Haast-Hollyford road or Haast-Hollyford Highway is a long-standing proposal to link Haast via the Hollyford Valley to Milford Sound and Te Anau in the South Island of New Zealand. Proposals for this road have been mooted since the 1880s.
The Humboldt Mountains or Humboldt Range are one of the many ranges which make up the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana 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.
Martins Bay is an indentation in the southwest coast of New Zealand's South Island. It lies immediately to the south of Big Bay and some 30 kilometres north of the mouth of Milford Sound at the northern tip of Fiordland. The Hollyford River reaches the Tasman Sea at Martins Bay.
The South Island, with an area of 150,437 km2 (58,084 sq mi), is the largest landmass of New Zealand; it contains about one-quarter of the New Zealand population and is the world's 12th-largest island. It is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki / Mount Cook at 3,724 metres (12,218 ft), making it 9th-highest island, with the high Kaikōura Ranges to the northeast. There are eighteen peaks of more than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in the South Island. The east side of the island is home to the Canterbury Plains while the West Coast is famous for its rough coastlines such as Fiordland, a very high proportion of native bush, and Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. The dramatic landscape of the South Island has made it a popular location for the production of several films, including The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It lies at similar latitudes to Tasmania, and parts of Patagonia in South America.
Mount Eglinton is an 1,854-metre-elevation (6,083-foot) mountain summit in the Fiordland Region of New Zealand.
Mount D'Archiac is a 2,875-metre-elevation (9,432-foot) mountain in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand.
Mount Gifford is a 2,149-metre-elevation (7,051-foot) mountain in Fiordland, New Zealand.
Mount Gunn is a 2,044-metre-elevation (6,706-foot) mountain in Southland New Zealand.
Mount Crosscut is a 2,263-metre-elevation (7,425-foot) mountain in Fiordland, New Zealand.