Karetai Peak is a mountain in

Fiordland Fiordland (, "The Pit of Tattooing", and also translated as "the Shadowlands"), 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 F ...

, New Zealand.

Description

Karetai Peak is part of the

Darran Mountains The Darran Mountains are a prominent range within New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, the country's biggest national park. They contain the park's highest peak, Mount Tūtoko (). Geography The range lies between Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) a ...

and it is situated nine kilometres east of

Milford Sound Milford Sound (, officially gazetted as Milford Sound / Piopiotahi) is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage ...

in the

Southland Region Southland () is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists of the southwestern portion of the South Island and includes Stewart Island. Southland is bordered by the culturally similar Otago Region to the north and east, and the West Coast ...

of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. It is set within

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 W� ...

which is part of the

Te Wahipounamu Te Wāhipounamu ( Māori for "the place of greenstone") is a World Heritage Site in the south west corner of the South Island of New Zealand. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990 and covering , the site incorporates four national par ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's southwest slope drains into the headwaters of the

Donne River The Donne River is a river in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It arises in the Darran Mountains near Karetai Peak and flows south-west to join the Cleddau River. State Highway 94 crosses the Donne just before it reaches the Cleddau. The ...

, whereas the east slope drains to Chasm Creek and the northwest slope to Cleft Creek which are both tributaries of the

Hollyford River The Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka is in the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for through Fiordland, its sources being close to the Homer Tunnel and in Gertrude Valley in the southern Darran Mountains. At first, the ...

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 orientati ...

is significant as the summit rises above the Donne Valley in one kilometre. The nearest higher neighbour is

Te Wera Peak Te Wera Peak, also known as Mount Te Wera, is a mountain in Fiordland, New Zealand. Description Te Wera Peak is the fourth-highest peak of the Darran Mountains. It is situated in the Southland Region of the South Island, and set within Fiordl ...

, 1.67 kilometre to the north. This mountain's toponym has been officially approved by the

New Zealand Geographic Board The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is the authority over geographical and hydrographic names within New Zealand and its territorial waters. This includes the naming of small urban settlements, localities, mounta ...

.''Karetai Peak''
New Zealand Gazetteer, Retrieved 25 January 2025. The peak was named in 1937 by Lindsay Stewart (1917–2010) who made the

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

of the peak, to honour

Karetai Karetai ( – 30 May 1860), also known as Hone Karetai and Jacky White,Thomson, J. (ed.) 1998) "Southern people: A dictionary of Otago Southland biography." pp. 263–264. was a New Zealand tribal Māori leader. Of Kāti Kurī, Kāti Māmoe ...

(1781–1860), a New Zealand tribal

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

leader.

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made in November 1937 by David Lewis and Lindsay Stewart.''Karetai Pk''
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 25 January 2025. Climbing routes with the first ascents: * North Ridge – David Lewis, Lindsay Stewart – (1937) * South Ridge – Robin Pettit, Richard Price, Barry Scott, Doug Warren – (1972) * East Face – Ken Calder, Bruce Clark, Pete Glasson, Al Smith – (1973) * South West Face – Colin Dodge, Keith Lockwood – (1974) * West Ridge – FA unknown

Climate

Based on the

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'' (te ...

, Karetai Peak is located in a

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 co ...

climate zone. Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains, where the air is forced upward by the mountains (

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 cr ...

), causing moisture to drop in the form of rain or snow. This climate supports the Taoka Icefall on the peak's west slope and the Te Puoho Glacier on the east slope. The months of December through February offer the most favourable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.''The Best Time to Visit the South Island''
nzpocketguide.com, Retrieved 25 January 2025. Underwood and Karetai

References

External links

* Karetai Peak
weather
* Karetai Peak
New Zealand Alpine Club
{{Portal bar, Mountains, Geography, Geology, New Zealand Fiordland National Park Mountains of Fiordland

Description

Climbing

Climate

See also

References

External links