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Mount Balloon
Mount Balloon is an mountain in Fiordland, New Zealand. Description Mount Balloon is part of the Wick Mountains and is situated in the Southland Region of the South Island. It is set within Fiordland National Park which is part of the Te Wahipounamu United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The peak is a prominent landmark along the Milford Track when crossing the McKinnon Pass, with the track traversing the lower west slope of the peak. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains to the Arthur River (New Zealand), Arthur River, whereas the northeast slope drains into the North Branch Clinton River (New Zealand), Clinton River, and the south slope drains into the Clinton River's West Branch. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above Clinton Canyon in one kilometre. The nearest higher neighbour is Mount Elliot (New Zealand), Mount Elliot, 2.23 kilometres to the north. Climbing The first ascent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wick Mountains
The Wick Mountains are a range within New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, the country's biggest national park. Their highest peak is Mount Elliot , and this can be seen in fine weather from the Milford Track, a popular tourist walking track. Geography The range is bounded by the Arthur River (New Zealand), Arthur River to the west, Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) and the valley of the Cleddau River to the west, the Homer Saddle, which separates them from the Darren Mountains to the north west and the valleys of the Neil Burn and Clinton River (New Zealand), Clinton River to the south. The Homer Tunnel lies under the north eastern extreme of the range.Dowling, P. (ed.) (2004). ’’Reed New Zealand atlas’’. Auckland: Reed Publishing. Map 89. Sheerdown Peak in the range is at the southern end of Milford Sound rising above the airport flat. The mountains were named by Donald Sutherland (explorer), Donald Sutherland after his birthplace in Caithness, Scotland. Geology The Wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
McKinnon Pass
Omanui / McKinnon Pass (previously spelt Mackinnon Pass) is an alpine pass between Mount Hart and Mount Balloon in Fiordland, New Zealand. The pass is at an elevation of and is located southwest of Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. The pass is the highest point of the famous Milford Track connecting Lake Te Anau and the Clinton River valley with the Arthur River valley and Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. History The pass was known to local Māori as Omanui meaning "the great running" or "the great escape". Europeans did not discover the pass until October 1888 when Quintin McKinnon and Ernest Mitchell made their way over the pass from the Clinton Valley. McKinnon had been commissioned by the chief surveyor of Otago to find a route from Te Anau to Milford Sound. McKinnon and Mitchell spent a month slashing a track through the forest and eventually made their way across the pass to reach the existing track to Sutherland Falls. The McKinnon Memorial, a large cairn A cairn is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orographic Lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and create clouds and, under the right conditions, precipitation. Orographic lifting can have a number of effects, including precipitation, rain shadowing, leeward winds, and associated clouds. Precipitation Precipitation induced by orographic lift occurs in many places throughout the world. Examples include: * The Mogollon Rim in central Arizona * The western slope of the Sierra Nevada range in California. * The western slope of the Wasatch Range in Utah. Specifically the Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons. * The mountains near Baja California North – specifically La Bocana to Laguna Hanson. * The windward slopes of Khasi and Jayantia Hills (see Mawsynram) in the state of Meghalaya in India. * The Western Highlands of Yemen, which rece ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marine West Coast
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool to warm summers and cool to mild winters (for their latitude), with a relatively narrow annual temperature range and few extremes of temperature. Oceanic climates can be found in both hemispheres generally between 40 and 60 degrees latitude, with subpolar versions extending to 70 degrees latitude in some coastal areas. Other varieties of climates usually classified together with these include subtropical highland climates, represented as ''Cwb'' or ''Cfb'', and subpolar oceanic or cold subtropical highland climates, represented as ''Cfc'' or ''Cwc''. Subtropical highland climates occur in some mountainous parts of the subtropics or tropics, some of which have monsoon influence, while their cold variants and subpolar oceanic climates occu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (temperate), ''D'' (continental), and ''E'' (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. All climates are assigned a main group (the first letter). All climates except for those in the ''E'' group are assigned a seasonal precipitation subgroup (the second letter). For example, ''Af'' indicates a tropical rainforest climate. The system assigns a temperature subgroup for all groups other than those in the ''A'' group, indicated by the third letter for climates in ''B'', ''C'', ''D'', and the second letter for climates in ''E''. Other examples include: ''Cfb'' indicating an oceanic climate with warm summers as indicated by the ending ''b.'', while ''Dwb'' indicates a semi-Monsoon continental climate, monsoonal continental climate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald Sutherland (explorer)
Donald Sutherland ( – 24 October 1919) was a Scottish-born New Zealand explorer, active in the late 19th century. Born in Wick, he served as a soldier in the Expedition of the Thousand, led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, in the Italian unification wars. Soon afterwards he travelled to New Zealand where he prospected for gold in Otago. He later joined the New Zealand military and fought in a number of engagements of the New Zealand Wars. In 1877, he settled in Milford Sound and lived as a hermit for a number of years, exploring the region. He later married and, with his wife, ran an accommodation facility for the increasing number of tourists visiting Milford Sound until his death in October 1919. The Sutherland Falls, located near Milford Sound and the highest waterfall in New Zealand, is named for him. Early life Donald Sutherland was born in Wick, a coastal town in Scotland, around 1843 or 1844. He was the son of Donald Sutherland, a ropemaker, and Isabella Strachan. As a boy he wor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Elliot (New Zealand)
Mount Elliot is a mountain in Fiordland, New Zealand. Description Mount Elliot is part of the Wick Mountains and is situated in the Southland Region of the South Island. It is set within Fiordland National Park which is part of the Te Wahipounamu United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The peak is a prominent landmark along the Milford Track when crossing the McKinnon Pass on the way to Quintin Huts, with the track traversing the lower south slope of the peak. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains west to the Arthur River (New Zealand), Arthur River, and east into the headwaters of the North Branch Clinton River (New Zealand), Clinton River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above the Arthur River Valley in two kilometres. The nearest higher peak is Pariroa / Castle Mount (2,122 metres), 7.5 kilometres to the south, and also the Wick Mountains' high point. Etymology According to histori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Topographic Relief
Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientation of terrain features. Terrain affects surface water flow and distribution. Over a large area, it can affect weather and climate patterns. Bathymetry is the study of underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. Importance The understanding of terrain is critical for many reasons: * The terrain of a region largely determines its suitability for human settlement: flatter alluvial plains tend to have better farming soils than steeper, rockier uplands. * In terms of environmental quality, agriculture, hydrology and other interdisciplinary sciences; understanding the terrain of an area assists the understanding of watershed boundaries, drainage characteristics, drainage systems, groundwater systems, water ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clinton River (New Zealand)
The Clinton River is a river in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. There is also a Clinton River in Canterbury, which is a tributary of the Puhi Puhi River. The river lies completely within the Fiordland National Park and feeds into Lake Te Anau Lake Te Anau () is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of , making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand (after Lake Taupō) and the largest in the South Island. It is the .... The Milford Track follows the river from Lake Te Anau and then up the west branch of the river. Lake Mintaro is a small lake on the west branch of the river. Gallery Charles Howorth - Clinton Canyon - Sarjeant Gallery.jpg, Charles Howorth - Clinton Canyon - showing the Clinton River. Clinton canyon from mckinnon's pass.jpg, Clinton Canyon Milford Track Clinton River 1.jpg, The Clinton River seen from the Milford Track Clinton River Dore Pass.jpg, Dore Pass Cr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur River (New Zealand)
The Arthur River is a river in Fiordland, New Zealand. It flows into Milford Sound and the final section of the Milford Track follows the river. It flows through Lake Ada, where it is joined by Joes River, and is about long. Lake Ada was dammed by a landslide about 900 years ago. Pāteke lived on the river until the mid-1990s, when stoats spread to the valley. Stoat control, to protect whio, began in 2003 and was extended to the Joes River valley in 2005. Pāteke were reintroduced from a captive breeding stock in 2009, with further releases in 2010 and 2011. See also *List of rivers of New Zealand This is a list of all waterways named as rivers in New Zealand. A * Aan River * Acheron River (Canterbury) * Acheron River (Marlborough) * Ada River (New Zealand), Ada River * Adams River (New Zealand), Adams River * Ahaura River * Ahuriri R ... References Land Information New Zealand- Search for Place Names External links Rivers of Fiordland Fiordland National Pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milford Track
The Milford Track is a hiking route in New Zealand, located amidst mountains and temperate rain forest in Fiordland National Park in the southwest of the South Island. The 53.5 km (33.2 mi) hike starts at Glade Wharf at the head of Lake Te Anau and finishes in Milford Sound at Sandfly Point, traversing rainforests, wetlands, and an alpine pass. The New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies this track as a Great Walk and maintains three huts along the track: Clinton Hut, Mintaro Hut and Dumpling Hut. There are also three private lodges and four day shelters available. Most people complete the trail in 15 to 20 hours of hiking over three days, not counting an additional hour or two to reach the first hut from a boat. However, some people run the track in one day. The fastest known completion of the trail and record is by British ultramarathon, trail and mountain runner Ajay Hanspal in 5 hours and 19 minutes and 33 seconds set on 18 November 2023, beating t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiordland 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 of New Zealand, national parks in New Zealand, with an area covering , 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 (New Zealand), Department of Conservation. The southern ranges of the Southern Alps cover most of Fiordland National Park, combined with the deep glacier-carved valleys. The park is a significant refuge for many threatened native animals, ranging from dolphins and bats to reptiles, insects, and endangered species of birds endemic to New Zealand such as the takahē, mōhua, mohua, kākāpō, and southern brown kiwi. History Māori history One of the earliest settlers on the South Island were the Waitaha (South Island iwi), Waitaha people, who are believed to have settled directly to the South Island from ''Hawaiki'' on th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
