{"id":4341,"date":"2025-03-13T20:01:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T12:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meowtainpeople.com\/?p=4341"},"modified":"2025-03-20T16:20:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T08:20:38","slug":"mount-owen-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meowtainpeople.com\/zh\/mount-owen-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"Mount Owen (LOTR’s Dimrill Dale: Escape From Moria)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At 1,875 meters, Mount Owen is the highest peak in Kahurangi National Park. Climbing Mount Owen requires a good level of mountaineering experience, while also being well equipped and self-sufficient. You also need confidence in walking on narrow glaciated karst landscapes with deep shafts drop-offs.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Lord of The Rings fans will find extra thrill traversing on Mount Owen, as it is used as the epic filming location for Dimrill Dale, the place where the Fellowship escaped the horrors of Moria. The on-site filming took ten days.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Getting To Mount Owen (New Zealand)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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There are two routes to reach the peak of Mount Owen: The Northern approach (~6 hours on clear days) and the Southern approach (~7 hours). The Northern approach is the recommended way which will be covered in this post. The Southern approach is the most difficult and requires river crossings and more route finding as there are no rock cairns or markers above the bushline.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Mount Owen Northern Approach (2 Days Return)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Driving To Courthouse Flat Campsite<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mount Owen Northern Approach starts at <\/span>Courthouse Flat Campsite<\/span><\/a> Car Park. The drive there involves crossing Dart River ford on the Wangapeka River. While a concrete culvert is built over the river, the water can still flow over it when the water level is slightly higher. Before traveling, check the <\/span>river flow for Wangapeka at Walter Peak<\/span><\/a>. As a guide, do not cross if the flow graph exceeds 40 cumecs. Upon arrival at the crossing, re-access the flow condition based on your vehicle type and driving skill.<\/span><\/p>

After crossing the Dart River ford, there are still several fords to cross before reaching the campsite car park. While smaller, they do not have a culvert or bridge built over it, so two-wheel-drive or low vehicles might find it tricky to drive over the fords, especially for those streams with smooth slippery pebbles. It is recommended to use a four-wheel-drive vehicle, or have another vehicle in your group to pull a stuck car if needed. There may not be mobile phone reception in the area to call for vehicle towing service.<\/span><\/p>

Other than that, do remember to check the weather forecast for your return trip to ensure you don\u2019t get stuck due to the rising river. Moreover, do keep a stash of emergency food and supplies in your vehicle just in case you have to wait a few days for the river flow to return to a safe level to cross the fords.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Courthouse Flat Campsite to Granity Pass Hut via Ridge Track (8.3km)<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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6.56am: There are two track options between Courthouse Flat and Granity Pass Hut: via Ridge or via Blue Creek. The first one is an open track on a ridge while the Blue Creek Track goes past old gold mining relics and side trips to some beautiful rivers and pools. I will first take the Ridge option up, and will take the Blue Creek option coming back down.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+6)7.02am: First, through an overgrown grass track.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+25)7.27am: Then, begins the steep climb up the ridge.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+22)7.49am<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+8)7.57am<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+9)8.06am: The Ridge Track and Blue Creek Track join and continue onwards to Granity Pass Hut.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+40)8.46am: A brief clearings offering views to the north and west but it was a foggy day.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+7)8.53am: The track heads down and back into the forest.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+6)8.59am: The track goes over an open saddle for a couple of minutes, before re-entering the forest.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+12)Climbing down the notorious and steep section called \u201cThe Staircase\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+7)9.19am: Sidling around marble bluffs.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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(+1)9.20am: Suddenly, I spotted an unusual square hole in the rock face on the opposite mountain. I reckon that could be an old mine site entrance into the natural cave networks.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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