McClure Peak is a mountain in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Description

McClure Peak is located on the crest or Main Divide of the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...

, with the summit set on the boundary shared by the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

and

West Coast Region The West Coast () is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller Distri ...

s 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 situated west of the city of

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

on the northeastern boundary of

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park is a national park located in the Canterbury Region in the central-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It was established in October 1953 and takes its name from the highest mountain in New Zealand, Aora ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains east to the

Havelock River The Havelock River is a river of New Zealand. The river source is in the Cloudy Peak Range, part of the Southern Alps, between Sceptre Peak and Outram Peak. It joins the Rangitata River which flows into the Canterbury Bight between Ashburton ...

via St Winifred Stream, southwest into the headwaters of the

Godley River The Godley River is an alpine braided river flowing through Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. The river's headwaters are in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park at the Godley Glacier which flows from McClure Peak. The river flows south ...

, and northwest to the Perth River via Bettison Stream.

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 Bettison Stream in approximately two kilometres, and above St Winifred Glacier in one kilometre. The nearest higher neighbour is

Mount D'Archiac Mount D'Archiac is a mountain in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. Description Mount D'Archiac is the highest peak in the Two Thumb Range which is a subrange of the Southern Alps. It is situated west of the city of Christchurch and is se ...

, 4.6 km to the southwest. 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 summit was made in February 1925 by Jack Lippe and Will Kennedy.

Etymology

The mountain was originally named Mount Tyndall by

Julius von Haast Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast (1 May 1822 – 16 August 1887) was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch. Early life Johann Franz Julius Haast was born on 1 May 1822 in Bo ...

, but this toponym was transferred to another peak.''McClure Peak''
New Zealand Gazetteer, Retrieved 6 February 2025. The present name honours Gordon Hurrell Morland McClure (1859–1947), a local surveyor who worked in this area during the late 1880s.

Climbing

Climbing routes with the first ascents:''McClure Pk''
Climbnz.org.nz, Retrieved 6 February 2025. * South Ridge via Terra Nova Pass – Will Kennedy, Jack Lippe – (1925) * West Face – Jack Pattle, Allan Cookson, Charles (Gordon) Buchanan, Neville Barker – (1937) * North Ridge – Eric de Lacey, Russell Pearce, G.W. Watson – (1967)

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 ...

, McClure 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 ...

(Cfb) climate zone, with a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

at the summit. 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 St Winifred and Godley glaciers surrounding this mountain's slopes. 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 6 February 2025.

Gallery

File:McClure Peak, 2.jpg, McClure Peak centered on skyline and reflected in Lake Clearwater File:McClure Peak, 3.jpg, McClure Peak illuminated at dawn File:McClure Peak.jpg, McClure Peak File:Upper Rangitata Basin, Canterbury, New Zealand, June 2007 (857775054).jpg,

to left, McClure Peak to right on skyline File:Potts Road, Canterbury, New Zealand, June 2007.jpg, Mount D'Archiac to left, McClure Peak left of centre, Cloudy Peak to right.

References

External links

* McClure Peak
weather
* McClure Peak
Climbnz.org
* Gordon Hurrell Morland McClure
National Library of New Zealand
{{Portal bar, Mountains, Geography, Geology, New Zealand Southern Alps Mountains of the Canterbury Region Mountains of the West Coast Region Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park