Wick Mountains
{{Short description|Mountain range in New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
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|text=The Wick Mountains are shaded purple. This map also shows the approximate extent of the geological magma origin Darran Suite of gabbronorite and dioritic orthogneiss in red shading which composes most of the mountains.
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| highest = Mount Elliot
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| location = Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand
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| normal_route = Homer Tunnel
| access = State Highway 94 (New Zealand)
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The Wick Mountains are a range within New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, the country's biggest national park. Their highest peak is Mount Elliot {{convert|1990|m|ft}}, and this can be seen in fine weather from the Milford Track, a popular tourist walking track.
Geography
The range is bounded by the Arthur River to the west, Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) and the valley of the Cleddau River to the west, the Homer Saddle, which separates them from the Darren Mountains to the north west and the valleys of the Neil Burn and Clinton River to the south. The Homer Tunnel lies under the north eastern extreme of the range.Dowling, P. (ed.) (2004). ’’Reed New Zealand atlas’’. Auckland: Reed Publishing. Map 89. {{ISBN|0 7900 0952 8}}
Sheerdown Peak in the range is at the southern end of Milford Sound rising above the airport flat.
The mountains were named by Donald Sutherland after his birthplace in Caithness, Scotland.[https://gazetteer.linz.govt.nz/place/48617 New Zealand Gazetteer:Wick Mountains Source: Reed, A.W. & Peter Dowling, Place Names of New Zealand, 2010]
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|+ Selected Peaks in Wick Mountains | |||
| Peak | Height | Coordinate | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Elliot | {{convert|1990|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.77979|S|167.78501|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | File:Mount Elliot.jpg |
| Mount Belle | {{convert|1965|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.77454|S|167.98501|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | File:Mount Belle.jpg |
| Mount Moir | {{convert|1965|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.77267|S|167.97718|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | File:Mount Moir.jpg |
| Mount Anau | {{convert|1956|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.86588|S|167.92170|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | |
| Mount Mitchelson | {{convert|1936|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.80120|S|167.89074|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | |
| Mount Gendarme | {{convert|1931|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.78564|S|167.94528|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | |
| Sheerdown Peak | {{convert|1878|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.69935|S|167.93907|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | File:Milford Sheerdown Peak.jpg |
| Mount Gendarme | {{convert|1931|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.78564|S|167.94528|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | |
| Mount Balloon | {{convert|1847|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.79976|S|167.78795|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | |
| Mount Wilmur | {{convert|1710|m|ft}} | {{coord|44.78537|S|167.79610|E|format=dms|display=inline}} | File:View from the Mackinnon Pass 2014 1.jpg |
Geology
The Wick Mountains are predominantly composed of a biotite from volcanic diorite dated just to their north to 138 ± 2.9 Ma and with younger intusion dykes of say quartz monzodiorite dated at 136 ± 1.9 Ma.{{cite journal | title=Diorites and associated intrusive and metamorphic rocks of the Darran Complex, Mount Underwood, Milford, southwest New Zealand |author1=A Wandres |author2=SD Weaver |author3=D Shelley |author4=JD Bradshaw | journal=New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics | year=1998 | volume=41 | issue=1 | pages=1–14 | doi=10.1080/00288306.1998.9514786| doi-access=free }} These rocks are part of the Median Tectonic Zone that separates the Western and Eastern provinces of Zealandia rocks. They cover an area of about {{convert|740|km2|abbr=on}}. The mountains also have components to their southwest of orthogneiss.[https://data.gns.cri.nz/geology/ NZ 1:250K Geological GNS science]
Climbing
Some of the mountains have known mountain climbing routes{{cite web|url=https://climbnz.org.nz/nz/si/darrans/wick-mountains |title=ClimbNZ:Wick Mountains (80 routes) |access-date=2023-03-15}} on what has been described as "amazing diorite".{{cite web|url=https://climbnz.org.nz/nz/si/darrans/wick-mountains/mt-moir |title=ClimbNZ:Mt Moir (27 routes) |access-date=2023-03-15}}
File:Milford Track Hirere Falls.jpg|The Hirere Falls on the Milford Track are on the south western extreme of the Wick Mountains. The peaks behind at up to {{convert|1920|m|ft}} do not have official names.
File:Clinton River (48753260066).jpg|Clinton River Valley showing Wicks Mountains to right in view towards McKinnon Pass (Oil, John Elder Moultray about 1910, Auckland Museum).