The Magnificence Of Aspiring

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30745, 8 May 1965, Page 5

The Magnificence Of Aspiring

jyjOUNT Aspiring National Park, tenth and most recently established in New Zealand’s national park system, is a region of magnificent, diverse scenery readily accessible from the popular tourist resorts of Queenstown and Wanaka.

Constituted last December 1964, Mount Aspiring, of 492,300 acres, is the country’s third largest reserve—Fiordland and Urewera are bigger. It extends along both sides of the Southern Alps from Fiordland National Park in the south to the new Haast Pass State highway in the north. Part of the region's unique character lies in the spectacle of mountains rising in the east from broad river valleys—many of them farmed—and lush rain forests in the west.

Like Matterhorn Its best-known feature is 9959 ft Mount Aspiring, New Zealand’s highest peak outside Mount Cook National Park. The Matterhorn-like peak was first climbed in 1909 and remains a great attraction for climbers and tourists alike. Glimpses of the strikingly beautiful mountain are plentiful from Lake Wanaka’s Glendhu Bay or nearby Matukituki Valley. Mount Aspiring’s snowfields feed three striking glaciers—Bonar, Therma and Volta. There are other fine mountains near Aspiring, including Mount Joffre and Mount French, and the glaciated peak of Mount Ava-

lanche makes an impressive sight from Matukituki Valley road. Castor (8256 ft and Pollux (8341 ft are among the most impressive at the head of the Wilkin Valley; further south are the Barrier and Olivine Ranges, the remote Olivine ice plateau being virtually unexplored until the 1930’5. Eastern Access The valleys of the Dart, Rees, Matukituki, Wilkin and Makaroa rivers give access from the east to the park’s mountains and passes. From the west an experienced tramper can penetrate valleys of the swift and often dangerous Okuru, Turnbull, Waitoto and Arawata rivers. The Arawata is navigable for 20 miles by jet boat. For the casual visitor, new roads being developed and existing ones being improved offer ready means for seeing as much of the area as possible. Some great names in New Zealand exploration were associated with it. The Haast Pass road from Otago to South Westland, which follows an old Maori route, was first conquered in 1861 by J. H. Baker and E. Owens. Charles Cameron, who had earlier explored the Dart and Routeburn valleys, is credited as the first European to cross it —in January 1863—just before a party led by Sir Julius von Haast, after whom the pass, river and township were named. Crossed Plateau

Earlier, in 1857, the surveyor, J. T. Thomson, sighted and named Mount Aspiring. In 1863 A. J. Barrington crossed the Olivine ice plateau, suffering incredible hardships on the journey, and 20 years later C. E. Douglas explored widely the park’s Westland area. Land in the Routeburn Valley at the head of Lake Wakatipu first became a

scenic reserve in 1907, but moves to establish a national park in the mountainous region of west Otago did not begin until 1936. The National Parks Authority deferred its establishment, pending greater accessibility and public demand.

By 1964 improved roading and air services, and public enthusiasm—notably by members of the New Zealand Alpine Club and Federated Mountain Clubs—led to the constitution of Mount Aspiring National Park. Air Services At Queenstown, air services are available for flights over the area, and valleys at the head of Lake Wakatipu can be reached by steamer to Glenorchy and Kinloch, or by road. A bus excursion service from Kinloch along Dart Valley, in the shadow of Mount Earnslaw (9308 ft and into the Routeburn Valley through forests of tall beech at the foot of the Humboldt Mountains, attracts thousands of visitors annually. A similar service from Glenorchy gives access to both the Rees Valley popular tramping country—and the Diamond Lake and Paradise area, popular for its forest, lake and mountain setting and its fishing. A scenic reserve, Diamond Lake is a probable future acquisition for the park. • The Matukituki area, with several alpine huts near Mount Aspiring, is reached

from Wanaka via Glendhu Bay. There are many fine mountain views along this road, which ends near Mount Aspiring Station.

Scenic Route Wanaka, with its new tourist hotel, is the logical beginning for a drive over the Haast Pass, the park boundary being near Makarora beyond the head of Lake Wanaka. An outstanding scenic route, this road leads through beech forest and gives wonderful mountain views.

Forests, mainly beech in the east and rimu, kamahi and rata in the west, support a great variety of bird life—tuis, bellbirds, parakeets, robins, kakas and native pigeons. As in all national parks, hunting introduced animals is encouraged and with red deer present over a wide area there is ample scope for recreational hunters. Better Facilities

As the Mount Aspiring National Park Board, under its chairman Mr C. K. Eville, undertakes conservation and development to benefit the public, improved facilities will enable more visitors to enjoy this region of beauty and grandeur. The pictures show Mount Earnslaw from the Routeburn area (above) and the view across the Dart river from the Haast Pass highway.