Mountaineering in New Zealand

Does anyone have experience in the mountains of New Zealand? I'm in the early stages of planning a trip to New Zealand this January and am looking for a moderate objective. We're a team of two with some experience but aren't familiar with the area, so want it to be very manageable. Ideally glaciated, but with relatively low angles (no frontpointing or ice climbing). Alpine rock is cool as long as it's moderate. Any suggestions of where to start looking would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Anya

I'd recommend the NW Ridge of Mt Aspiring. A lot of people climb a 50 degree snow ramp to access the main ridge, but you can also get there via moderate rock. Once on the ridge proper it is an easy snow climb to a spectacular summit. There is a hut at the base of the ridge and you can get a chopper ride that lands on the Bonar Glacier close to the hut. For the full mountain experience I recommend hiking in, if you have the time.

Was definitely considering that, but the helicopter ride makes it more than I'd like to spend. Might be willing to consider the hike in, but can you recommend anything with a shorter approach? Have you ever climbed Mt. Brewster? That's one option I've found online.

Mount brewster is a fun one. Non technical, but definitely a good mountain to get comfortable on, and get a feel for New Zealand mountaineering, with an uncomplicated glacier crossing and great position.

If you're in very good cardio/hiking shape, and not carrying too much gear, you can make the Aspiring approach in one day, climb the next. Would definitely recommend wearing your trail runners and carrying your mountain boots if you try to do it this way.

I did this approach in 2 days. Got weathered out for the summit day.

Thinking about trying it in 3 days this Feb: 1 day to approach to colin todd hut, 1 day to summit, 1 day back to car.

I haven't climbed Mt Brewster, but it I believe it's an easier approach. The hike in to Colin Todd Hut under Aspiring can be done in a day, but it's a long day for most people.Another option is to go via French Ridge which also has a hut. You can get to French Ridge hut on the first day and then to Colin Todd the next. Either way you will have to cross the Bonar Glacier, so have your glacier skills dialed in. Be aware that bad weather is the norm in this area and the weather windows can be short - although I have had 9 days in a row of blue bird weather, so don't be too discouraged.

Another option that fits your criteria could be Mt Earnslaw near Queenstown.

I'd be hesitant to recommend Aspiring as a first NZ peak to someone without either previous NZ mountain experience or significant overseas experience. It's not that technically difficult, but it is a long approach, the weather is very likely to crap out on you, and the climb from French ridge hut to the top is long enough that you want to be moving reasonably fast. January is also getting late enough in the season that the ramp and the quarterdeck might be starting to get cut up (caveat - we got weathered out at French Ridge hut, so I haven't personally been much higher on the mountain).

Brewster would likely be an excellent option - depending on your fitness it might be worth pushing on past the hut and camping/bivying on the glacier. The track through the boulder field and across the glacier took us significantly longer than expected and we ended up bailing as we didn't get to the base of the climbing proper until around midday (it didn't help that there was ~2cm of fresh snow on everything which made the boulder hopping especially treacherous). The glacier on Brewster is a bit of a disappointment - pretty flat and featureless,

Other options to consider would be Rolleston, or something around the Tasman saddle - e.g. Elie de Baumont (would require flying in unless you're a complete masochist).

If you're after something really cruisy. Mt Annette or Mt Sealy on the Sealy range near Mt Cook would be a good alpine hike which you'd be unlikely to need a rope for. The alpine rock in much of the Southern Alps is pretty crap (think stacked dinner plates) - if you do want good alpine rock, you want to head for the Darrans (although you'll have to contend with even worse weather - ~8m of rainfall a year).

New Zealand mountains shouldn't be taken lightly. People die pretty much every year up there. Avalanches, crevasses and softening ice on steep terrain.... I'm no expert myself but I've lost 4 friends in recent years in NZ, a couple of them highly experienced.

No front pointing at all? I'd expect that would limit your options.

AnyaJ wrote:Was definitely considering that, but the helicopter ride makes it more than I'd like to spend. Might be willing to consider the hike in, but can you recommend anything with a shorter approach? Have you ever climbed Mt. Brewster? That's one option I've found online.

Helicopters are generally the sensible option. They can save you significant amount of time and every day you are there costs money.

Good points David and Patto. The OP said she has "some experience" , but that's a relative thing.I agree Rolleston could be a good start - especially via Rome Ridge. Patto, I would add river crossings to your list of potential dangers.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I now have a short list to look at:
Brewster
Rolleston
Annette (interesting because I was thinking of hiking up to the Mueller Hut anyway)
Sealy (same)

Happy to take any other suggestions. Light and fun is the plan for this trip. It's my first trip to NZ and the goal is to enjoy it rather than worry about whether we're pushing limits too much. I have more experience on rock than snow and ice, so if the crux were rock, that'd be alright, but it seems that's unlikely.

Does anyone know of good websites or other resources where I can find out more about the routes on these peaks? I'm finding much less detailed information than one does for say, the Cascades. Maybe that's intentional, but I am hoping to have some idea of what I'm getting into.

Thanks all!

This seems to be what they have instead of Mountain Project:

climbnz.org.nz/

And these seem to be the guidebooks(from the same organization, New Zealand Alpine Club):

alpineclub.org.nz/product-c…

If you find a source to buy these guidebooks stateside, lmk, because shipping is going to be $$.

AnyaJ wrote:I have more experience on rock than snow and ice, so if the crux were rock, that'd be alright, but it seems that's unlikely.

The serious cruxes and challenges will not be rock climbing in the southern NZ mountains.

(Personally my snow/ice experience is minimal. But I have enough friends who have been over there that I have a vague but not specific knowledge.)

AnyaJ wrote:Does anyone know of good websites or other resources where I can find out more about the routes on these peaks? I'm finding much less detailed information than one does for say, the Cascades. Maybe that's intentional, but I am hoping to have some idea of what I'm getting into. Thanks all!

Consider contacting some of the NZ mountain guides. Regarding mountains and routes. They'll have the information, if you ask nicely they might be able to point you in the right direction.

I'd go a step further than Patto, and say that for the majority of moderate NZ mountaineering objectives the crux is more logistical than technical (i.e. managing approaches, objective hazards and the like). This is probably one of the reasons for the lack of detailed beta online - the actual "cruxes" will be highly variable and different for each trip. The second reason is that the NZ outdoor community is pretty close knit - everyone generally knows a couple of people they can ask in person. To the extent that it is possible to describe routes, the NZAC guidebooks are pretty good.

As Zittydog pointed out, do not underestimate the rivers, which are the leading cause of death in the NZ mountains. Mt Brewster in particular has a potentially serious river crossing right at the start of the track. The golden rule is to wait for flooded rivers to come down before crossing, which generally means you should always have ~2 days of emergency food and not have anywhere you absolutely have to be (e.g. international flights) within a couple of days of your expected return time. It would also pay to read up on "mutual support" methods of river crossing.

In addition to the idea of contacting guides, you could also get in touch with one of the NZAC sections. If it wasn't January when most of the meetings fall out because people are in the hills, I'd suggest dropping in on one of the monthly section meetings (usually a slide show and beers at a pub) and talking to people in person. I was on the Auckland section committee for a couple of years and drop-ins were always welcome.

If you do end up in the Aspiring area, Mt Barff, Mt French, or possibly Mt Avalanche would all be reasonably easy goals which would get you in the midst of things.