JOHN TURNBULL THOMSON (1821-1884)
Mount Earnslaw or Pikirakatahi (2,819m -9,249 ft)
New Zealand
In Earnslaw, 1883, watercolor on paper, Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa
The Mountain
Mount Earnslaw, (2,819m -9,249 ft) also named Pikirakatahi by Māori is located on New Zealand's South Island. It is named after Earnslaw (formerly Herneslawe) village in the parish of Eccles, Berwickshire, hometown of the surveyor John Turnbull Thomson's father.
Mount Earnslaw is within Mount Aspiring National Park at the southern end of the Forbes Range of New Zealand's Southern Alps. It is located 25 kilometres north of the settlement of Glenorchy, which lies at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu.
Climbing
Reverend W.S. Green had come to New Zealand to try to climb Mount Cook. In March 1882, with guides Emil Boss and Ulrich Kaufmann, he attempted Earnslaw, but transport and weather problems forced them to turn back after climbing 1, 500m (5,000 ft). After several attempts over a period of years, Glenorchy guide Harry Birley climbed the eastern peak of Earnslaw in 1890. He left a bent shilling in an Irish Moss bottle within a stone cairn, to prove he had reached the top.
The 10 m lower, but much more challenging West Peak, 2.5 km to the west-south-west and separated by a 200 m deep pass, was climbed in 1914 by H.F. Wright and J. Robertson.
Mt Earnslaw (Pikirakatahi) has variety of routes available for a moderate to technical challenge and provide and excellent platform to begin your alpine practice. The peak(s) west and east, dominate over the northern arm of Lake Wakatipu and the small hamlet of Glenorchy (315 m) is the last frontier before the lush river valley leads the way to the eastern slopes and the access to climb Mt. Earnslaw. Although the easiest route is not technically demanding, Mt. Earnslaw will physically challenge any mountaineer with a variety of routes on Earnslaw await the climber who wants a technical challenge. An excellent campsite is located on the old moraine bench at the foot of the ascent track beyond the Rees crossing point
There are two huts available on the ascent:
1) Earnslaw Hut (at about 1000m - still below the tree line) It is owned by the DOC. Some describe its condition as "derelict" but you should prefer to like it for its historic feel and rustic construction! This is where Frank Wright commenced his FA of West Peak back in 1914.
2). Esquilant Bivvy at Wright Col (Just beyond it actually) at 2150m owned by N.Z ALPINE CLUB - for more details click here.
The best season to climb is from December to the end of February. The nearest city is Queenstown.
The painter
John Turnbull Thomson was a British civil engineer and artist who played an instrumental role in the development of the early infrastructure of nineteenth-century Singapore and New Zealand.
After his father was killed in a hunting accident in 1830, the young Thomson and his mother went to live in Abbey St. Bathans, Berwickshire. He was educated at Wooler and Duns Academy, later spending some time attached to Marischal College, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh University before studying engineering at Peter Nicholson's School of Engineering at Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Thomson arrived in the Malay Straits in 1838 and was employed by the East India Survey. In 1841 he was appointed Government Surveyor at Singapore and in 1844 became Superintendent of Roads and Public Works. He was responsible for the design and construction of a number of notable engineering works including bridges, roads, and hospitals. His outstanding achievement was the erection of the Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca. In 1853 his health failed and he returned to England where he studied modern engineering techniques, and travelled widely through Britain and the Continent inspecting engineering works. Early in 1856 he emigrated to New Zealand, where he worked as Chief Surveyor of the Otago Province until 1873. From 1876 until 1879 he was Surveyor-General of New Zealand. He was also the original surveyor of the city of Invercargill.
From 1856 until 1858 Thomson surveyed and explored large sections of the interior of the South Island, covering most of the southern half of the island.
He was also a amateur painter of landscapes, working mostly in oils, almost known for the interesting historical topographical viewpoint of his paintings.
