Mount Owen is in the Tasman district of the South Island of New Zealand. It stands at 1875 metres (5625 feet) above sea level and is part of the Marino Mountains.
There are a number of caves in the marble karst areas on the flanks of the mountain, including New Zealand's longest cave system, Bulmer Cavern, which run for 64 kilometres. Mount Owen lies within Kahurangi National Park. The Hope Saddle crosses its eastern flank.
Mount Owen featured briefly in the first of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring. When the characters led by Aragorn leave Moria they emerge onto a rocky plateau. This was filmed on the slopes of Mount Owen.
Mount Owen is best accessed via Granity Pass. This generally involves a two day tramp staying overnight at Granity Pass Hut. It is possible to climb it in winter but care is needed over the karst area due to snow hiding sink holes.
Famous quotes containing the words mount and/or owen:
“On the 31st of August, 1846, I left Concord in Massachusetts for Bangor and the backwoods of Maine,... I proposed to make excursions to Mount Ktaadn, the second highest mountain in New England, about thirty miles distant, and to some of the lakes of the Penobscot, either alone or with such company as I might pick up there.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“He sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark,
And shivered in his ghastly suit of grey,
Legless, sewn short at elbow.”
—Wilfred Owen (1893–1918)