New Zealand

New Zealand is a land of spectacular and diverse mountains. North Island and South Island are both mountainous, and each has a landscape that is markedly distinct.

On North Island, a 300-mile system of mountain ranges extends from East Cape southwestwards to the island's coast. The peaks in this system average around 5,500 feet, but the landscape is dominated by four higher volcanoes, towering above the comparatively hilly terrain that surrounds them. The four prominent volcanoes are Ruapehu, Mount Egmont, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Tongariro.

South Island, in contrast to North Island, has a clearly defined mountain backbone called the Southern Alps. These mountains have eighteen high summits, famous for their extensive glaciers. Steep glaciers coat the eastern and western slopes. Those on the west flow as distant as 20 miles, where ice nearly reaches the Tasman sea. Along the island's west coast, a wall of high peaks rises steeply, battered by extremely heavy winds and rain. Fierce, sudden storms often last for days, and northwest winds are generally so strong that climbs requiring bivouacs are rarely attempted. The best season for climbing runs from December through February. Many of South Island's highest peaks stand within national parks, where hotels and mountain huts are available.

South of South Island, the smaller Stewart Island is also mountainous, and is topped by Mount Anglem (3,215 ft.).