Mount Rolleston is a prominent peak in Arthur's Pass National Park

Arthur's Pass National Park

Arthur's Pass National Park is located in the South Island of New Zealand.It was established in 1929, becoming the first national park in the South Island and the third in New Zealand. It is bisected by State Highway 73. The road passes through Arthur's Pass village and the mountain pass with the...

 in 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 was named by the surveyor Arthur Dudley Dobson

Arthur Dudley Dobson

Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson was a pioneer surveyor, engineer and explorer. Born in London, he came to Lyttelton, New Zealand in 1850 on one of the First Four Ships. He is best known for taking the first party of Europeans over Arthur's Pass.-Early life:Arthur Dudley Dobson was born in Islington,...

 in 1864, who observed the peak while searching for a route through the Southern Alps to the West Coast gold fields. The name honours the then Superintendent

Superintendent (politics)

Superintendent was the elected head of each Provincial Council in New Zealand from 1853 to 1876.-Historical context:Provinces existed in New Zealand from 1841 until 1876 as a form of sub-national government. After the initial provinces pre-1853, new provinces were formed by the New Zealand...

 of the Canterbury Province

Canterbury Province

The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south...

, William Rolleston

William Rolleston

William Rolleston was a New Zealand politician, public administrator, educationalist and Canterbury provincial superintendent.-Early life:...

.

While not the highest mountain in the National Park (Mount Murchison

Mount Murchison

Mount Murchison may refer to:In Antarctica* Mount Murchison , Antarctica* Mount Murchison , the highest peak in the Mountaineer Range, AntarcticaIn Australia* Mount Murchison In Canada* Mount Murchison...

 holds that honour), it is well known because it can be viewed from State Highway 73

New Zealand State Highway 73

State Highway 73 is a major east-west South Island State Highway in New Zealand connecting Christchurch on the east coast with Greymouth/Hokitika on the west coast via the Southern Alps...

 that runs through Arthur's Pass to the West Coast of the South Island. It is also popular with climbers, as it can be climbed in a day starting from Arthur's Pass township

Arthur's Pass

Arthur's Pass is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. It marks part of the boundary between the West Coast and Canterbury regions, 140 km from Christchurch and 95 km from Greymouth. The pass lies in a saddle between the valleys of the Otira River, a...

. Mount Rolleston was first climbed in 1912 by climbers H. Thomson and J. Gilligan. Mount Rolleston can be climbed via several routes, including the Rome or Goldney Ridges, the latter of which allows access to Otira

Otira

Otira is a small township seven kilometres north of Arthur's Pass in the central South Island of New Zealand. It is on the western approach to the pass, a saddle between the Otira and Bealey Rivers high in the Southern Alps...

Slide, which in winter can be descended by skis.