Mount Wolseley is a mountain in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand.
Description
Mount Wolseley is situated less than one kilometre east of the crest 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 ...
in
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 ...
. It is located 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 ...
in the
Mackenzie District
Mackenzie District is a local government district on New Zealand's South Island, administered by the Mackenzie District Council. It is part of the larger Canterbury Region. The region takes its name from the Mackenzie Basin, an elliptical inter ...
of the
Canterbury Region
Canterbury () is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of
The region in its current form was estab ...
in 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 ...
. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into 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 ...
.
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 in two kilometres. 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 December 1920 by Will Kennedy and Jack Lippe.
[''Mt Wolseley'']
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 22 December 2024. The nearest higher peak is
Mount Loughnan, three kilometres to the west.
[
]
Climbing
Climbing routes on Mount Wolseley:[
* Neish Glacier – Will Kennedy, Jack Lippe – (1920)
* South Ridge – B.R. Young, I.R. Wood, H. Elder, J. Porter – (1951)
* East Ridge – Richard Tornquist, Noel Strack – (1953)
]
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 Wolseley 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 Maud and Ruth glaciers on 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 22 December 2024.
See also
* List of mountains of New Zealand by height
The following are lists of mountains in New Zealand ordered by height. Names, heights, topographic prominence and isolation, and coordinates were extracted from the official Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) Topo50 topographic maps at thint ...
* Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley (4 June 183325 March 1913) was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He became one of the most influential British generals after a series of victories in Canada, West Africa and E ...
References
External links
* Mount Wolseley
weather
* Mount Wolseley
Climbnz.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolseley, Mount
Southern Alps
Mountains of the Canterbury Region
Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park