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Mount Aspiring / Tititea
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Mount Aspiring / Tititea[2] is New Zealand's 23rd-highest mountain. The peak's altitude of 3,033 metres (9,951 ft) makes it the country's highest outside the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park region.
Key Information
Names
[edit]Māori named it Tititea, after a chief of the Waitaha iwi, who were the first people to settle the South Island.[3]
It was named Aspiring in December 1857 by the Chief Surveyor for the Otago Province, John Turnbull Thomson.[4]
It is also often called "the Matterhorn of the South", for its pyramidal peak when seen from the Matukituki River.
The mountain's name was used for the surrounding Mount Aspiring National Park at its creation in 1964.
The mountain's official name was updated to Mount Aspiring / Tititea in 1998, by the Treaty Settlement Legislation Section 269 and Schedule 96 of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.
Location
[edit]Mount Aspiring / Tititea sits slightly to the west of the main divide, 30 kilometres west of Lake Wānaka.[4] It lies at the junction of three major glacial systems – the Bonar Glacier, which drains into the Waipara River, and the Volta and Therma glaciers, which both drain into the Waiatoto River. The Waipara is a tributary of the Arawhata River, and both the Arawhata and Waitoto Rivers flow out to the West Coast in between Haast and Jackson Bay.
Climbing
[edit]The first ascent was on 23 November 1909 by Major Bernard Head and guides Jack Clarke and Alec Graham.[5] Head's party climbed to the summit ridge by the west face from the Bonar Glacier, a route not repeated until 1965.[6]
The most used route to Mount Aspiring is up the West Matukituki Valley, which is at the end of a 50-kilometre road from Wānaka at Raspberry Flat. From here a network of huts provide staging points for climbers.
The first is Mount Aspiring Hut, which is 8 kilometres (or approximately two hours' walk) from the end of the road. The next hut is an 8-12hr hike away that is mainly off trail. The trail only provides a route for the first half of the approach that winds through the flat valley floor. From the end of the trail one can either ascend the French Ridge and traverse the Bonar Glacier, or ascend Bevan Col to the Bonar Glacier. Both require good route finding skills and knowledge of rock climbing techniques and glacial travel. Many climbers opt to fly in via helicopter because of the gruelling approach.
The mountain and park are popular with climbers and trampers, so has experienced a number of accidents and deaths.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Topographic map of Mount Aspiring / Tititea". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Place name detail: Mount Aspiring/Tititea". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "The names of ancestors and places". Te Ara Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b Wises New Zealand Index, 7th Edition, 1979. p. 15.
- ^ Johnston, Martin (23 November 2009). "100 years since Mt Aspiring triumph". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- ^ Logan, H. (1990) 'Great peaks of New Zealand', New Zealand Alpine Club, Wellington, and John McIndoe Limited, Dunedin, New Zealand, ISBN 0-86868-125-3.
- ^ "Why are so many people dying in Mount Aspiring National Park". Stuff (Fairfax). 8 January 2015.
- ^ "A lack of preparation makes for misadventures on Mt Aspiring". Stuff (Fairfax). 4 April 2018.
- ^ "Missing Australian climber found in good spirits on Mt Aspiring". Stuff (Fairfax). 2 August 2018.
- ^ "Australian climber Terry Harch an accident waiting to happen". Stuff (Fairfax). 9 August 2018.
- ^ "'I should be dead': Tourist reflects 20 years after partner's tragic death". Otago Daily Times. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ "Climber grabbed at grass tufts before falling 100 metres to her death at Mt Aspiring national park". Stuff (Fairfax). 3 August 2018.
External links
[edit]- Prelude to Aspiring A 1949 documentary by Brian Brake.
Mount Aspiring / Tititea
View on GrokipediaPhysical Characteristics
Geological Formation and Composition
Mount Aspiring / Tititea is predominantly composed of Haast schist from the Aspiring lithologic association, characterized by pelitic schists, greenschists, quartzofeldspathic schists, and subordinate spilitic metavolcanics and cherts derived from Mesozoic sedimentary and volcanic protoliths of the Caples and transitional Aspiring terranes.[10][11] These rocks exhibit polyphase deformation, including isoclinal ductile folding and macroscopic nappe formation during greenschist-facies metamorphism associated with the Rangitata Orogeny in the Jurassic to Cretaceous period (approximately 170–80 million years ago).[12][11] The schists represent part of a broader accretionary wedge formed along the convergent margin of the Zealandia continent, where subduction-related sedimentation and volcanism preceded regional metamorphism that increased in grade eastward toward the present-day Alpine Fault.[10][13] Subsequent Neogene (Miocene to Pliocene, starting around 23–5 million years ago) transpressional tectonics along the Alpine Fault drove rapid uplift of the Southern Alps, exposing the schist sequence through denudation rates exceeding 10 mm per year in places.[14] Pleistocene glaciation further sculpted the mountain's pyramidal horn shape via cirque erosion and arête formation, with ice accumulation from multiple alpine glaciers enhancing the peak's steep ridges and facets.[15][16]Topography and Prominence
Mount Aspiring / Tititea attains an elevation of 3,033 meters above sea level, positioning it as New Zealand's highest peak beyond the Aoraki / Mount Cook region.[17][18] The mountain's topography is defined by a sharp, pyramid-shaped summit formed through glacial erosion, with precipitous ridges extending to encircling icefields such as the Bonar Glacier to the north and the Volta, Therma, and Iso Glaciers on its southern and eastern aspects.[19] Topographic prominence stands at 2,456 meters, reflecting the elevation drop to the nearest higher peak's connecting col and highlighting its substantial isolation from adjacent ranges in the Southern Alps.[20] This prominence manifests in a vertical rise exceeding 2,500 meters from the Matukituki Valley floor, emphasizing the peak's commanding relief amid the surrounding glaciated valleys and alpine spurs.[8]Location and Regional Context
Geographic Position
Mount Aspiring / Tititea is located in the South Island of New Zealand, within Mount Aspiring National Park, at coordinates 44°23′04″S 168°43′41″E.[20] The mountain forms part of the Southern Alps, positioned near the boundary between the Otago and West Coast regions.[4] The peak stands approximately 30 kilometers west of Lake Wānaka and about 180 kilometers southwest of Aoraki / Mount Cook, serving as the highest point outside the Aoraki / Mount Cook area.[8] It lies slightly west of the main divide of the Southern Alps, at the junction of major valleys including the Matukituki and Haast River systems.[21] This central position within the national park highlights its role as a focal point of the region's glaciated high country.[4]Surrounding Landscape and Access
Mount Aspiring / Tititea occupies a central position in the glaciated core of Mount Aspiring National Park, encircled by deep U-shaped valleys carved by ancient ice, including the West and East branches of the Matukituki River, which drain the mountain's flanks. The immediate terrain consists of rugged schist formations, perpetual snowfields, and hanging glaciers such as the Bonar, Volta, Cascade, and Therma, which descend steep cirques and feed alpine rivers with meltwater.[4] This high-relief landscape transitions from lower river flats with podocarp-beech forests to mid-altitude tussock grasslands and upper alpine herbfields, contributing to the park's unspoilt wilderness character spanning the Southern Alps.[4] Access to the peak begins primarily from Wānaka, following State Highway 6 south then turning onto the unsealed West Matukituki Valley road for approximately 45 km to the Raspberry Creek car park, a drive taking 1-2 hours depending on conditions.[4] From the car park, a well-defined track ascends 5 km (300 m elevation gain) along the valley floor to Mount Aspiring Hut, reachable in 2 hours for fit walkers, providing a base camp for glacier travel to climbing routes via the Bonar Glacier.[4] [21] Eastern approaches from Glenorchy involve multi-day tramps through the adjacent Rees or Dart valleys, crossing passes like Cascade Saddle to reach the mountain's remote flanks, but these routes demand advanced navigation and are prone to avalanche risk.[4] Park roads and tracks feature gravel surfaces, swing bridges, and unbridged river crossings subject to swift rises after rain; the Department of Conservation recommends checking weather forecasts, river levels, and track status at visitor centers in Wānaka or Makarora, as sudden storms can isolate areas and heighten hazards in the variable alpine climate.[4]