{"id":39325,"date":"2026-02-14T01:28:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T12:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/?post_type=trip&p=39325"},"modified":"2026-03-18T17:15:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T04:15:40","slug":"darrans-mountaineering","status":"publish","type":"trip","link":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/trip\/darrans-mountaineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Darrans Mountaineering"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Darrans mountain range in Fiordland is one our favourite destinations for classic mountaineering and scrambling objectives. From December to the end of the summer season in March, when the loss of seasonal snow begins to cut off access to NZ\u2019s high glaciated peaks, the area offers a variety of alpine outings for all levels of experience. Exposed rock scrambling and alpine rock climbing on the rough compact granite of the Moir massif, Mitre Peak and mountaineering routes of Tutoko and Madeline. Many routes are easily accessible from the Upper Hollyford Valley and Milford Road as day trips or utlising the area\u2019s massive and famous rock bivis.<\/p>\n

Darrans Mountaineering Objectives<\/h3>\n
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Mitre Peak<\/h3>\n

The Iconic Mitre Peak of Milford Sound features heavily in NZ\u2019s tourism marketing. It is the backdrop for the thousands of daily tourists that cruise in the sound below. It\u2019s 1692m high summit is accessed via a narrow ridge provides varied scrambling and massive exposure. Best enjoyed with a camp at the tree line to make the most of the sunrise over the Sound.<\/p>\n

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More Information<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Macpherson Talbot Traverse<\/h3>\n

A classic crossing from the Milford Road to the Gertrude Valley. Ascend the \u2018Postman\u2019s\u2019 route to Homer Saddle then Talbots Ladder and onwards to the summit of MacPherson. At one point this was considered as a tourist route to Milford Sound! From Macpherson, the route crosses the glacier to Traverse Pass and then down to Gertrude Saddle and the Gertrude Valley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Wanaka<\/figure>\n

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Mount T?toko and Mount Madeline<\/h3>\n

The mighty Mount T?toko (2723m) and Mount Madeline (2536m), the highest peaks of Fiordland National Park are both accessed from the amazingly situated Turner\u2019s rock bivi. They provide classic, varied and remote mountaineering objectives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mount Moir<\/h3>\n

The traverse from Homer Saddle and the North Ridge of Mount Moir provides excellent, exposed scrambling on compact and rough rock. This long route includes a lot of variety and classic climbing. The summit offers views from Lake Ten Anau to the high peaks of Tutoko and Madeline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Barrier Knob<\/h3>\n

The popular Gertrude Valley track and viewpoint of Gertrude Saddle is just the first stop on the trip to Barrier Knob. The summit provides views down to Milford Sound and Lake Adelaide and the massive rock walls of Marian Peak and Sabre Peak. There are a number of bivi spots for the complete Fiordland experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Sentinel<\/h3>\n

The Sentinel above Adelaide Saddle provides the region\u2019s best lower-grade alpine rock climbing. The area is accessed by a transalpine journey up and over Barrier Knob and a night can be spent at Gill\u2019s Bivi rock by descending Gifford\u2019s Crack to Lake South America and the upper Adelaide Cirque.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What to Expect<\/h2>\n
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Darrans Mountaineering trips are based from the\u00a0NZ Alpine Club\u2019s Homer Hut<\/a>. This is a roadside hut in the Upper Hollyford Valley. There are no high mountain huts in the area so for longer routes, groups will bivi out or in one of the area\u2019s famous rock bivis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Details and Pricing<\/h3>\n
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Duration:<\/td>\n4+ days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dates:<\/td>\nDecember to March<\/p>\n

Get in contact to arrange private dates.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Price:<\/td>\n4 day trips from $2790 per person. Discount for NZAC members.<\/p>\n

Includes: GST, guide fees, compliance costs, technical equipment, transport from W?naka, mountain food and accommodation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Maximum ratio:<\/td>\n1:2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n
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Register Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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See Also<\/h2>\n
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\"Wanaka \u00a0 \u00a0<\/a>Classic Peaks<\/span><\/figure>\n

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\"Wanaka \u00a0 <\/a>Darrans Alpine Rock Climbing<\/span><\/figure>\n

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\"Wanaka \u00a0 <\/a>Remarkables Grand Traverse<\/span><\/figure>\n

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\"Wanaka \u00a0<\/a>Tititea \/ Mount Aspiring<\/span><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
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\"Wanaka \u00a0\"Wanaka \"Wanaka<\/figure>\n

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\"W?naka \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \"Wanaka<\/figure>\n

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\"Wanaka \u00a0\"Wanaka \u00a0\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating: 5 out of 5.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018First class guide with excellent skills with safety being the priority. However, even his cooking was good! :-)\u2026 overall had an amazing adventure! He managed all aspects of our safety efficiently and professionally. It was a truly great experience! A first-class job guiding us with his in-depth knowledge of the mountain.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Murray, Aspiring Ascent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating: 5 out of 5.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018Thank you again. That was an awesome day out and I really appreciated how generous [our guide] was with his time and knowledge. He crammed in more than I thought possible in a day.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/strong>\u00a0Megan, Remarkables Alpine Rock Climbing Course<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span>\"?\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating: 5 out of 5.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018It was 4 days I\u2019ll never forget! The experiences I had I only want to grow on. I set out to accomplish a task, but I got so much more! You showed me a whole new world with your sport and I can\u2019t thank you enough! Absolutely exceeded my expectations!!! Thanks Wanaka Mountain Guides!<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Landen, Mitre Peak Ascent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Darrans mountain range in Fiordland is one our favourite destinations for classic mountaineering and scrambling objectives…..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":39326,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"trip_category":[734534246,734534247,734534164],"difficulty":[734534274],"available_month":[734534256],"trip_tag":[],"class_list":["post-39325","trip","type-trip","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","trip_category-classic-peaks","trip_category-four-day-ascents","trip_category-mountaineering","difficulty-climb-intermediate","available_month-december-march"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trip\/39325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trip"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/trip"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"trip_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trip_category?post=39325"},{"taxonomy":"difficulty","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/difficulty?post=39325"},{"taxonomy":"available_month","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/available_month?post=39325"},{"taxonomy":"trip_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liyanitsolution.online\/wanakamountainguides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trip_tag?post=39325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}