Mount Sparrman

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Mount Sparrman
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Mount Sparrman
Location in New Zealand
Mount Sparrman
Interactive map of Mount Sparrman
Highest point
Elevation 969 m (3,179 ft) [1]
Prominence 128 m (420 ft) [2]
Coordinates 45°48′11″S166°38′17″E / 45.80306°S 166.63806°E / -45.80306; 166.63806 [1]
Naming
Etymology Anders Sparrman
Geography
Location South Island
CountryNew Zealand
Region Southland
Protected area Fiordland National Park
Te Wahipounamu
Parent range Kākāpō Range
Topo map NZMS260 B44 [1]
Climbing
First ascent 1773

Mount Sparrman is a 969-metre-elevation (3,179-foot) hill in Fiordland, New Zealand. The hill is notable as the first peak in New Zealand climbed by Europeans; this happened in 1773 as part of the second voyage of James Cook.

Contents

Description

Mount Sparrman is a hill south of Cook Channel, which is part of Tamatea / Dusky Sound. This peak is located in Fiordland National Park and Te Wahipounamu. Precipitation runoff from the hill drains north-west to Tamatea / Dusky Sound and south-east to a lake that eventually flows into Taiari / Chalky Inlet via Lumaluma Creek. [1] The Mount Sparrman–South Peak is an informal name for a nearby hill at an elevation of 1,026 metres (3,366 ft). [3] Topographic prominence is 128 metres (420 ft). [2]

First ascent

(Cascade Cove) Dusky Bay by William Hodges '(Cascade Cove) Dusky Bay' RMG BHC2371.tiff
(Cascade Cove) Dusky Bay by William Hodges

The hill is notable as the first peak in New Zealand climbed by Europeans – it was scaled on 23 April 1773 by a party of four who belonged to the second voyage of James Cook. Three of the party's names are known: Anders Sparrman (1748–1820), Richard Pickersgill (1749–1779), and Joseph Gilbert (1732–1831). It is believed that the fourth person was an able seaman who may have acted as a porter. Georg Forster and his father Johann were supposed to be part of the trip, but they were both sick that day. [4]

The Resolution had already been in Tamatea / Dusky Sound for five weeks before the ascent. James Cook had decided to give his crew a rest period. They anchored in what they called Cascade Cove based on "a large magnificent waterfall", and that waterfall was later painted by William Hodges. [a] The route chosen to Mount Sparrman was beside this waterfall. [b] When the party reached the top, which was above the tree line, they set fire to the dry grass to signify the occasion. [4]

For many years, it had been believed that the first significant European climb of a New Zealand mountain was John Bidwill's ascent of Mount Ngauruhoe in 1839, but the degree of difficulty between Mount Sparrman and Mount Ngauruhoe is similar. [5]

The mountain's toponym honours Sparrman (1748–1820), who was a scientist on the Resolution. [1]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Sparrman is located in a marine west coast climate zone (Cfb). [6] Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains, where the air is forced upwards by the mountains (orographic lift), causing moisture to drop in the form of rain and snow. The months of December through February offer the most favourable weather for viewing or climbing this peak. [7]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Māori family shown in Hodges' painting was met in a different location at Cascade Cove; not at the waterfall. [4]
  2. ↑ The waterway that the waterfall is part of has not been named by the New Zealand Geographic Board. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Place name detail: Mount Sparrman". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand . Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Mount Sparrman". PeakVisor. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  3. ↑ "Mount Sparrman–South Peak, New Zealand". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Whelen, Bill (October–December 1998). "The climb of the ancient mariners". New Zealand Geographic . Auckland: Kowhai Media Ltd. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  5. ↑ Wilson, John (1 February 2017). "Mountaineering – Beginnings". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Te Anau Climate (New Zealand), climate-data.org, Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  7. ↑ The Best Time to Visit the South Island, nzpocketguide.com, Retrieved 19 January 2025.
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