The Glaciers on Mount Cook and Mount Tasman by Dr. Julius Haast 1866

Printed Copy.

In 1866, Julius von Haast produced a specific sketch map titled "The glaciers on Mount Cook and Mount Tasman" during his tenure as Canterbury's provincial geologist. This map, along with his earlier 1862 explorations, was pivotal in the first European systematic mapping of New Zealand's highest peaks and largest ice fields.

Key Features of the 1866 Map & Exploration

• Glacier Identification:
  The map includes the Franz Joseph Glacier, which Haast named in 1866 after the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. It also illustrates the Tasman Glacier, the country's largest, which he had named in 1862.

• Geological Context:
  Haast used these maps to support his theory of a "Great New Zealand Ice Period," documenting how prehistoric glaciers once extended miles into the sea.

• Naming Legacy:
  He frequently used these topographical surveys to name features after prominent European scientists, creating what he called a "Pantheon" on the landscape.

Notable Mapping Details

• Mount Tasman:
  Named by Haast in 1862, its Māori name is Horokoau.

• Mount Cook (Aoraki):
  While named by Captain Stokes in 1851, Haast's 1866 map provided the first detailed inland geological and topographical context for its surrounding glaciers.

• Accuracy:
  While groundbreaking, early versions of these maps occasionally contained errors, such as misplacing Mt Cook at the foot of the Tasman Glacier rather than its head.

Print size is 27cm x 37cm