| Mount Sparrman | |
|---|---|
.png)  Mount SparrmanLocation in New Zealand
| |
| Interactive map of Mount Sparrman | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 969 m (3,179 ft) |
| Prominence | 128 m (420 ft) |
| Coordinates | 45°48′11″S 166°38′17″E / 45.80306°S 166.63806°E / -45.80306; 166.63806 |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Anders Sparrman |
| Geography | |
| Location | South Island |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Southland |
| Protected area | Fiordland National Park Te Wahipounamu |
| Topo map | NZMS260 B44 |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1773 |
Mount Sparrman is a 969-metre-elevation (3,179-foot) hill in Fiordland, New Zealand. The hill is notable as the first peak in New Zealand climbed by Europeans; this happened in 1773 as part of the second voyage of James Cook.
Description
Mount Sparrman is a hill south of Cook Channel, which is part of Tamatea / Dusky Sound. This peak is located in Fiordland National Park and Te Wahipounamu. Precipitation runoff from the hill drains north-west to Tamatea / Dusky Sound and south-east to a lake that eventually flows into Taiari / Chalky Inlet via Lumaluma Creek. The Mount Sparrman–South Peak is an informal name for a nearby hill at an elevation of 1,026 metres (3,366 ft). Topographic prominence is 128 metres (420 ft).
First ascent
The hill is notable as the first peak in New Zealand climbed by Europeans – it was scaled on 23 April 1773 by a party of four who belonged to the second voyage of James Cook. Three of the party's names are known: Anders Sparrman (1748–1820), Richard Pickersgill (1749–1779), and Joseph Gilbert (1732–1831). It is believed that the fourth person was an able seaman who may have acted as a porter. Georg Forster and his father Johann were supposed to be part of the trip, but they were both sick that day.
The Resolution had already been in Tamatea / Dusky Sound for five weeks before the ascent. James Cook had decided to give his crew a rest period. They anchored in what they called Cascade Cove based on "a large magnificent waterfall", and that waterfall was later painted by William Hodges. The route chosen to Mount Sparrman was beside this waterfall. When the party reached the top, which was above the tree line, they set fire to the dry grass to signify the occasion.
For many years, it had been believed that the first significant European climb of a New Zealand mountain was John Bidwill's ascent of Mount Ngauruhoe in 1839, but the degree of difficulty between Mount Sparrman and Mount Ngauruhoe is similar.
The mountain's toponym honours Sparrman (1748–1820), who was a scientist on the Resolution.
Footnotes
- The Māori family shown in Hodges' painting was met in a different location at Cascade Cove; not at the waterfall.
- The waterway that the waterfall is part of has not been named by the New Zealand Geographic Board.
References
- ^ "Place name detail: Mount Sparrman". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ "Mount Sparrman". PeakVisor. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- "Mount Sparrman–South Peak, New Zealand". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ Whelen, Bill (October–December 1998). "The climb of the ancient mariners". New Zealand Geographic. Auckland: Kowhai Media Ltd. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- Wilson, John (1 February 2017). "Mountaineering – Beginnings". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 January 2025.