Old Man Range

The Old Man Range forms the south western boundary of the Manuherikia Basin. Named after the Old Man, a prominent skyline schist tor at 1,695m, the range extends 50km from the Fraser River in the north to the Umbrella Mountains in the south. The Old Man Range has nothing higher between it and the South Pole.

The Old Man Range’s European history revolves around gold mining and farming. They were challenging places with harsh winters that killed many miners. The range is a vast, exposed wilderness offering no shelter from its notoriously extreme weather.