Mount Sibbald

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Mount Sibbald is a 2,811-metre mountain in Canterbury, on New Zealand’s South Island. It is the highest point in the Sibbald Range, a small part of the Southern Alps. The peak sits about 193 kilometres west of Christchurch. Water from the mountain drains to the Godley River on the west and to the Macaulay River on the east. The summit rises sharply, about 1,700 metres above the Macaulay Valley in three kilometres and about 1,900 metres above the Godley Valley in four kilometres. The nearest higher peak is Mount D’Archiac, nine kilometres to the north. The name honours Sea Captain William Sibbald, who was the first runholder at Lilybank Station in 1868. The first ascent was in 1917, by Edgar Williams and William Kennedy. The climate is marine west coast with tundra at the summit, bringing rain or snow driven by westerly winds from the Tasman Sea. Small glaciers can be found on the slopes. The best time for viewing or climbing is December through February. Mount Sibbald lies within Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park.