Mount Owen, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Mount Owen is in the Tasman
district of the South Island
of New Zealand
. It stands at 1875 metres (5625 feet) above sea level and is part of the Marino Mountains.
There are a number of caves in the marble
karst
areas on the flanks of the mountain, including New Zealand's longest cave system, Bulmer Cavern
, which run for 64 kilometres. Mount Owen lies within Kahurangi National Park
. The Hope Saddle
crosses its eastern flank.
Mount Owen featured briefly in the first of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
, The Fellowship of the Ring. When the characters led by Aragorn leave Moria they emerge onto a rocky plateau. This was filmed on the slopes of Mount Owen.
Mount Owen is best accessed via Granity Pass
. This generally involves a two day tramp staying overnight at Granity Pass Hut. It is possible to climb it in winter but care is needed over the karst
area due to snow hiding sink holes.
Tasman, New Zealand
The Tasman Region is both a region and a district of New Zealand. It borders with the West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and the Nelson Region. It is both a region and a unitary authority, and the District Council sits at Richmond, with Community Boards serving outlying communities in Motueka...
district of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It stands at 1875 metres (5625 feet) above sea level and is part of the Marino Mountains.
There are a number of caves in the marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
areas on the flanks of the mountain, including New Zealand's longest cave system, Bulmer Cavern
Bulmer Cavern
Bulmer Cavern is New Zealand's longest cave system, running for 66 km through Mount Owen in the Tasman region of the northwest South Island...
, which run for 64 kilometres. Mount Owen lies within Kahurangi National Park
Kahurangi National Park
Kahurangi National Park is a national park in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It was gazetted in 1996 and covers 4,520 km². It is the second largest of New Zealand's fourteen national parks...
. The Hope Saddle
Hope Saddle
Hope Saddle is a saddle located in the Hope Range of the northern South Island. It lies above the Clark Valley....
crosses its eastern flank.
Mount Owen featured briefly in the first of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
, The Fellowship of the Ring. When the characters led by Aragorn leave Moria they emerge onto a rocky plateau. This was filmed on the slopes of Mount Owen.
Mount Owen is best accessed via Granity Pass
Granity Pass
Granity Pass lies between Mt Bell and Billies Knob in the Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand....
. This generally involves a two day tramp staying overnight at Granity Pass Hut. It is possible to climb it in winter but care is needed over the karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
area due to snow hiding sink holes.