GUNUNG · Selandia Baru
Key Summit
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Photo: source
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Source: Open-Meteo
Information
- Elevation
- 918 m
- Country
- Selandia Baru (NZ)
- Location / Range
- Fiordland National Park (Te Wāhipounamu, Warisan Dunia UNESCO), dekat The Divide / Milford Road
- Mountain type
- Puncak/tanjung alpine rendah di jalur Routeburn, Fiordland — titik pemisah tiga daerah aliran sungai (triple divide) dengan taman alpine bertarn
- Volcanic?
- No (non-volcanic)
- Coordinates
- -44.8150, 168.1270
- Difficulty
- Sedang: jalan alpine bertingkat namun tergolong mudah untuk ukuran 'proper walk'; ±3 jam pulang-pergi dengan tanjakan bertahap yang landai
- Best Season
- Musim panas hingga awal musim gugur (November–April) paling nyaman; di luar itu bisa bersalju, berkabut, dan dingin — jalur dan cuaca Fiordland cepat berubah
- Permits & Rules
- Berada di Fiordland National Park di jalur Routeburn Track (salah satu Great Walk Selandia Baru). Bagian day walk ke Key Summit dari The Divide tidak berizin khusus; menginap di hut Routeburn memerlukan pemesanan DOC. Akses lewat Milford Road (SH94)
- Hazards
- Cuaca Fiordland sangat cepat berubah — kabut, hujan lebat, dan dingin bisa datang tiba-tiba; jalur bisa licin dan bersalju di luar musim panas; curah hujan tinggi. Papan boardwalk di puncak melindungi lahan basah alpine yang rapuh
Description
Key Summit is a low alpine peak of about 918 metres in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand, sitting on the Routeburn Track — one of New Zealand's Great Walks. Reached from the The Divide car park on the Milford Road, the trail follows the Routeburn for about an hour to a junction, then climbs roughly 20 minutes to the top; about three hours return by DOC's estimate. Although relatively easy and family-friendly, Key Summit offers outstanding alpine panoramas over the Humboldt and Darran Mountains. Its summit is geographically special as a triple watershed divide, with an alpine garden of glacial tarns, peat bogs and sub-alpine shrublands protected by a boardwalk loop. The route passes from beech forest into alpine meadow, and native birds such as tomtits, robins, kererū and bellbirds are often seen. Many hikers rate it one of the best day walks in Fiordland.
Routes
Key Summit Nature Walk (loop taman alpine puncak)
Mudah (loop boardwalk berpapan interpretasi)A short loop at the top of Key Summit — a boardwalked nature walk with interpretive panels explaining the alpine garden of glacial tarns, peat bogs and sub-alpine shrublands, and its triple watershed divide. It offers 360-degree panoramas over the Humboldt and Darran Mountains; the boardwalk protects the fragile alpine wetlands.
SourceKey Summit Track (via Routeburn dari The Divide)
Sedang (jalur alpine terawat baik, tanjakan landai)The main route to Key Summit: from the The Divide car park on the Milford Road (SH94), follow the Routeburn Track for about an hour of gentle climbing through beech forest to the Key Summit junction, then climb roughly 20 minutes to the top. About 3 hours return (DOC estimate). The track is well maintained and family-friendly, but Fiordland weather changes fast — carry warm layers and rain gear.
SourceClimbing Experiences
Accounts of Key Summit consistently praise it as a short but hugely rewarding day walk in Fiordland: a gentle climb through beech forest that opens onto alpine meadow with panoramas of the Humboldt and Darran Mountains. Many sources stress the easy, family-friendly trail, the tarn-dotted alpine garden with its summit boardwalk, and how quickly Fiordland weather can change. Other recurring themes: the importance of choosing a clear day for the views, the beauty of the alpine wetlands, and the tame native birds along the way.
References
The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.