Mount Sparrman
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| Mount Sparrman | |
|---|---|
.png)  Mount Sparrman Location in New Zealand | |
 | |
| Interactive map of Mount Sparrman | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 969 m (3,179 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 128 m (420 ft)[2] |
| Coordinates | 45°48′11″S 166°38′17″E / 45.80306°S 166.63806°E[1] |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Anders Sparrman |
| Geography | |
| Location | South Island |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Southland |
| Protected area | Fiordland National Park Te Wahipounamu |
| Parent range | Kākāpō Range |
| Topo map | NZMS260 B44[1] |
| 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.
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.[1] The Mount Sparrman–South Peak is an informal name for a nearby hill at an elevation of 1,026 metres (3,366 ft).[3] Topographic prominence is 128 metres (420 ft).[2]
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.[4]
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.[a] The route chosen to Mount Sparrman was beside this waterfall.[b] When the party reached the top, which was above the tree line, they set fire to the dry grass to signify the occasion.[4]
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.[5]
The mountain's toponym honours Sparrman (1748–1820), who was a scientist on the Resolution.[1]