McKinnon Pass
{{Short description|Mountain pass in New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Omanui / McKinnon Pass
| other_name = {{langx|mi|Omanui}}
| photo = Milford Track Mackinnon Pass.jpg
| photo_size = 270px
| photo_alt =
| photo_caption = Looking up the Clinton River valley to Omanui / McKinnon Pass
| map = New Zealand Fiordland
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location within Fiordland
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| label = Omanui / McKinnon Pass
| label_position =
| elevation =
| elevation_m = 1156
| elevation_ft =
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| traversed = Milford Track
| length =
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| grade_avg =
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| location = Fiordland, New Zealand
| range =
| grid_ref_UK =
| grid_ref_Ireland =
| coordinates = {{coord|44|48|7|S|167|45|58|E|type:pass_region:NZ|display=title,inline}}
| coordinates_ref = {{LINZ|id=60008|name=Omanui / McKinnon Pass|accessdate=23 July 2022}}
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Omanui / McKinnon Pass (previously spelt Mackinnon Pass) is an alpine pass between Mount Hart and Mount Balloon in Fiordland, New Zealand. The pass is at an elevation of {{convert|1154|m}} and is located {{convert|19|km}} southwest of Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. The pass is the highest point of the famous Milford Track connecting Lake Te Anau and the Clinton River valley with the Arthur River valley and Milford Sound / Piopiotahi.{{Cite web| url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/milford-track/ | title=Milford Track | publisher=DOC | access-date= 23 July 2022}}
History
File:Milford Track Mackinnon Memorial 2.jpg
The pass was known to local Māori as Omanui meaning "the great running" or "the great escape".{{cite web | url=https://www.wildernessmag.co.nz/name-change-for-mackinnon-pass-proposed/ | title=Name change for Mackinnon Pass proposed | date=October 2021 | publisher=Wilderness | access-date= 23 July 2022}}
Europeans did not discover the pass until October 1888 when Quintin McKinnon and Ernest Mitchell made their way over the pass from the Clinton Valley. McKinnon had been commissioned by the chief surveyor of Otago to find a route from Te Anau to Milford Sound. McKinnon and Mitchell spent a month slashing a track through the forest and eventually made their way across the pass to reach the existing track to Sutherland Falls. The McKinnon Memorial, a large cairn, is located at the pass commemorating the traverse of the route by McKinnon.
The pass was known for a number of years as Mackinnon Pass although it later was agreed that the correct spelling was McKinnon.{{cite web | url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/mckinnon-quintin-mcpherson/1 | title=McKinnon, Quintin McPherson }} The name was officially changed in July 2022, correcting the spelling and adding the Māori name to form the dual name Omanui / McKinnon Pass.{{cite web | url=https://www.linz.govt.nz/regulatory/place-names/place-name-consultation/17302 | title=Omanui / McKinnon Pass }}
Today, the pass is crossed by thousands of hikers every year on the Milford Track. There is a day shelter at the top of the pass for hikers to use as a rest point and for use in emergencies.http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/historic/by-region/fiordland/northern-fiordland/historic-mackinnon-pass-memorial/ Historic Mackinnon Pass Memorial{{Cite web|url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-CowHero-t1-body-d36-d2.html|title = The Discovery of McKinnon's Pass | NZETC}}
Views
Although often clouded in, the pass offers spectacular 360-degree views. The pass is on the ridge between the {{convert|1857|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} Mount Balloon to the east and the {{convert|1769|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} Mount Hart to the west. Mount Elliot is visible to the north.
Climate
{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y
|collapsed = Y
|location = Castle Mount, elevation {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020)
|Jan high C = 7.7
|Feb high C = 8.1
|Mar high C = 7.8
|Apr high C = 4.9
|May high C = 3.0
|Jun high C = 1.2
|Jul high C = -0.4
|Aug high C = 0.0
|Sep high C = 1.8
|Oct high C = 2.1
|Nov high C = 4.0
|Dec high C = 6.4
| year high C =
|Jan mean C = 4.2
|Feb mean C = 4.7
|Mar mean C = 4.4
|Apr mean C = 1.5
|May mean C = -0.2
|Jun mean C = -1.9
|Jul mean C = -3.5
|Aug mean C = -2.9
|Sep mean C = -1.5
|Oct mean C = -1.3
|Nov mean C = 0.5
|Dec mean C = 3.0
| year mean C =
|Jan low C = 0.7
|Feb low C = 1.3
|Mar low C = 1.0
|Apr low C = -1.8
|May low C = -3.5
|Jun low C = -5.0
|Jul low C = -6.7
|Aug low C = -5.9
|Sep low C = -4.9
|Oct low C = -4.7
|Nov low C = -3.0
|Dec low C = -0.5
| year low C =
{{cite web
|url = http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz
|title = CliFlo – National Climate Database : Castle Mount Ews
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 19 May 2024}}
}}