Mount Balloon is an 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

Mount Balloon is part of the

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. ...

and is situated 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 ...

. The peak is a prominent landmark along the

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 o ...

when crossing the

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 ...

, with the track traversing the lower west slope of the peak. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains to the Arthur River, whereas the northeast slope drains into the North Branch

Clinton River The Clinton River is a river in southeastern Michigan in the United States. It is named in honor of DeWitt Clinton, who was governor of New York from 1817 to 1823. The main branch of the river rises from wetlands and coldwater tributaries from ...

, and the south slope drains into the Clinton River's West Branch.

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 Clinton Canyon in one kilometre. The nearest higher neighbour is Mount Elliot, 2.23 kilometres to the north.

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made in January 1911 by William Grave, Bert Lyttle, and Arthur Talbot via the North Ridge.''Mt Balloon''
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 21 February 2025. There is also an established route on the Southeast Ridge which was first climbed in January 1953 by Barraclough, Black, and Conway.

Etymology

This mountain's toponym was applied by

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received List of awards and nominations received by Donald Sutherland, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award ...

who said the peak was sticking out of the mist like a balloon to the east of McKinnon Pass. William Grave, who made the first ascent, humourously wrote that "I have heard it said that the peak was so called because it was thought that no one would reach its summit except in a balloon."''Mount Balloon''
New Zealand Gazetteer, Retrieved 21 February 2025.

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 ...

, Mount Balloon 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. 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 21 February 2025.

Gallery

File:Mount Balloon and Mackinnon Pass.jpg, Looking up at Mount Balloon and McKinnon Pass from Milford Track near Quintin Lodge File:View from Mintaro Hut.jpg, South aspect, from Mintaro Hut on the Milford Track File:View from Lake Mintaro.jpg, South aspect, from Lake Mintaro

References

External links

* Mount Balloon
weather
* Mount Balloon
New Zealand Alpine Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balloon, Mount Fiordland National Park Mountains of Fiordland