Kōrero: Glaciers and glaciation

In the early 1900s there was debate about the extent of past glaciers in the North Island. This was settled when Leslie Adkin explored the remote Tararua Range, and showed that only the highest peaks had been glaciated.

This view up Park Valley shows a hanging valley once filled by a small glacier. The inset is a sketch by Adkin showing three hanging valleys; the one to the right of Arete Peak is the one visible in the photograph.