Mount Rosa (New Zealand)

Mount Rosa is a 2,161-metre-elevation (7,090-foot) mountain in Canterbury, New Zealand.

Mount Rosa
Mts. Rosa (left), Mabel (right)
Highest point
Elevation	2,161 m (7,090 ft)[1][2]
Coordinates	43.65361°S 170.14824°E / -43.65361; 170.14824[1]
Naming
Etymology	Rosetta (Rosa) Moorhouse
Geography
Mount Rosa Location in New Zealand
Interactive map of Mount Rosa
Location	South Island
Country	New Zealand
Region	Canterbury
Protected area	Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
Parent range	Southern Alps Mount Cook Range[2]
Topo map	NZMS260 H36[3]
Climbing
First ascent	1890

Description

Mount Rosa is set in the Mount Cook Range of the Southern Alps of the South Island. This peak is located nine kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Mount Cook Village and set in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains into the Hooker River, whereas the east slope drains to the Tasman River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,160 metres (3,806 feet) above the Hooker Glacier in two kilometres, and 1,445 metres (4,741 feet) above Tasman Lake in 2.5 kilometres. The first ascent of the summit was made in 1890 by Rosa Moorhouse and Mabel Studholme.^[2][3]

Etymology

Rosa

The mountain's toponym honours mountaineer Rose (Rosa) Moorhouse (1866–1932).^[3] The peak was named by Rosa Moorhouse and her cousin Mabel Studholme following their ascent of the peak in 1890. From the summit they also named nearby Mount Mabel (2,091m). Rose Moorhouse was from a well-connected family and was also the niece of William Sefton Moorhouse, after whom nearby Mount Sefton is named. In 1892, Rose married Arthur Rhodes, New Zealand member of parliament and mayor of Christchurch. Rosa's charm and style cemented their place in Christchurch social circles and considerably assisted Arthur's political career. After Arthur's death, she lived with her son in London and died by falling 18 metres from the window of her son's flat.^[4]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Rosa is located in a marine west coast (Cfb) climate zone, with a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) at the summit.^[5] Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains, where the air is forced upward by the mountains (orographic lift), causing moisture to drop in the form of rain or snow. This climate supports an unnamed glacieret on the northeast slope of the peak. The months of December through February offer the most favourable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.^[6]

See also

• List of mountains of New Zealand by height