Odyssey Peak 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

Odyssey Peak is part of the Sheerdown Hills in the Wick Mountains, where it is situated five kilometres south 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 located 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 west slope drains into Lake Ada and the Arthur River, whereas the east slope drains into the

Cleddau River The Cleddau River (also known as , and the Cheddar River) is a river of New Zealand in Fiordland, Southland. It flows into the head of Milford Sound. See also *List of rivers of New Zealand This is a list of all waterways named as river ...

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 Lake Ada in two kilometres, and above the West Branch Cleddau Valley in one kilometre. The nearest higher neighbour is Mount Ada, 1.75 kilometre to the southwest. The mountain's toponym was applied by Noel Dunlop, who led 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 in 1961, as he bestowed the name both as a description of the climb and in association with the nearby Homer Saddle, which was not however named for

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

, the author of the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

''.''Odyssey Peak''
New Zealand Gazetteer, Retrieved 10 February 2025.

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made in January 1961 by Noel Dunlop, Chris Gee, and B. McNaughton.''Odyssey Pk''
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 10 February 2025. Climbing routes with the first ascents: * West Buttress – Noel Dunlop, Chris Gee, B. McNaughton – (1961) * South East Buttress – Merv English, Murray Jones – (1977) * North East Ridge (descent) – Merv English, Murray Jones – (1977)

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 ...

, Odyssey 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. 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 10 February 2025.

Gallery

References

External links

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