By Roselyn Fauth
I’ve always been in awe of our Southern Alps. Growing up in Timaru, they were my ever-present backdrop—the jagged white teeth on the horizon. “Where else can you look out past palm trees over the Pacific to snow-covered mountains?” It really is an incredible view, and I think Timaru is beautiful.
My parents, Marthy and Geoff Cloake, were keen trampers in the 1970 and 80s. So passionate, in fact, that they wrote a book together called The Secret South Island: The Hidden New Zealand Off the Beaten Track and dedicated it to me, their bun in the oven, while they tapped away at the typewriter. It was born of their love for walking, discovery and remote places. Some of these places were not on known trails, and may have never had a human set foot there. My mum has walked all over this landscape, and I now realise that on some of those tracks, she was following in the footsteps of only a few pioneering women before her, women who helped reshape the history of mountaineering in Aotearoa New Zealand. The book captures the same spirit I now find in their stories: a reverence for the land, a quiet determination, and a desire to make the way visible for others. (You can read it here: archive.org/secretsouthisland)
As we trace those paths today, I try to remember that to many of Ngāi Tahu descent, the iwi who hold manawhenua over this land, Aoraki is an ancestor. Rather than looking at Aoraki as a shape to be conquered, we acknowledge them with deep respect. The stories that follow unfold in the shadow of this maunga... shared with those who have walked humbly and bravely upon its slopes...
Photo of my mum Marthy Cloake, carrying me in her pack on one of the many tramps my parents took me on. Right - a visit to the Netherlands, a total contrast to the New Zealand landscape here.
Emily Harper
She was the first recorded European woman in the Aoraki glacier region.
In 1873, Emily Harper, the daughter-in-law of Bishop Henry Harper and wife of lawyer and explorer Leonard Harper, joined a small expedition into the glacier country near Aoraki, led by Melville Gray. She became the first recorded European woman to enter the region. Her letter describing the journey, later excerpted in the New Zealand Alpine Journal in 1948, offers one of the earliest known female accounts of New Zealand’s alpine landscapes.
Although she did not climb to the summit, Emily’s words show a her attentiveness to the dramatic terrain. She described the scene: “Flanked by magnificent precipices of bare rock, two thousand feet above you, which are scored with channels, down which the water god comes in grand cascades.”
Amid the imposing environment, she also noticed the alpine flora: “The whole place is relieved by a growth of Alpine flora; daisy, ranunculus, the Mount Cook Lily with its plate-like leaves, and a great variety of veronica.”
Her writing is an example of what was seen as bold and unusual for a European woman of her time, and by sharing her experience on paper, she helped open the way for others to follow. Not only into the mountains, but into the written and remembered story of Aotearoa’s alpine history.
Emily Harper’s connection to Timaru links back to the colonial settlement in the 1850s. Her husband, Leonard Harper, belonged to one of Canterbury’s most prominent settler families. His father, Bishop Henry Harper, visited Timaru several times during his episcopal duties from the 1850s, establishing and strengthening the Anglican Church’s presence in the region. Leonard served as a District Judge based in Timaru during the early 1870s, around the time of Emily’s journey to Aoraki.
The Harper family’s networks stretched from Christchurch across South Canterbury, and Emily would have known Timaru as a growing town linked by inland trails to the Mackenzie Basin and the mountain passes beyond. While she may not have left a direct written record of her presence in the town, her life was threaded through the same systems of pastoralism, travel and governance that shaped the region. Her footsteps in the shadow of Aoraki belong to a wider landscape of pioneering women who quietly shaped both the high country and the communities below.
Today you won’t find a hill named after her, or a plaque, or even a rock with her initials scratched into it. Like so many pioneering women of her time, Emily simply got on with life. She rode, walked, organised and observed, probably with no idea she would one day inspire generations of women to follow in her footsteps into the mountains. I wonder if she would have been quietly amused by that.
Miss Freda Du Faur and guides at Mount Cook, Circa 1910, Wellington, by James McDonald. Te Papa (MU000523/002/0062). Right: Emmeline Freda Du Faur with Alec and Peter Graham. Making New Zealand :Negatives and prints from the Making New Zealand Centennial collection. Ref: MNZ-1296-1/2-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22733550. 3 December 1910 Freda became the first woman to climb to the summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook, accompanied again by mountaineer-guide Peter Graham with his brother Alec. They reached the 3,724m (12,218ft) summit in a record six hours (beating the previous record by 2 hours).
Freda du Faur (1882 to 1935)
On 3 December 1910, Freda du Faur, born into a wealthy and conservative Sydney family, Freda’s childhood home, named Pibrac, is a Federation Queen Anne-style house built in 1888 by her father, Eccleston Du Faur. Designed by architect John Horbury Hunt, the residence still stands today and is part of Sydney's architectural heritage. The name Pibrac was later bestowed upon a mountain peak in New Zealand by Freda herself. Her father an environmentalist and explorer, and as a draughtsman for the NSW Government, over a 10-year period Eccleston mapped the state of NSW. is remembered today for working hard and lobbying to form the first national park in Australia to be established primarily for nature conservation.
"She was educated at home and in private schools and studied nursing. She had spent summer holidays in New Zealand on the North Island, on her first trip to the South Island to see the New Zealand International Exhibition at Hagley Park, Christchurch in November 1906,she was captivated by photographs of Mount Cook. Her love for the outdoors developed during holidays in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, especially around Mount Cook, which quickly became the focus of her ambition." - https://www.neighbourhoodmedia.com.au/post/freda-du-faur-cloud-piercer
Aoraki Mt Cook 's The Hermitage in 1922 "leased by the Government to a private firm: a picturesque view of the hostel, showing Mount Sefton (left) and Aoraki Mount Cook in the distance.". Supplement to the Auckland Weekly News, 28 September 1922, p.50. 238873_Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19220928-50-03
Freda became the first woman to stand on the summit of Aoraki Freda at a time when women were expected to wear ankle-length modest skirts, hers were trimmed at the knees. Freda trained for two years before the climb, carefully balancing physical preparation with the social restrictions of the Edwardian era. She wore a skirt over knickerbockers to satisfy modesty standards, and for her first major ascent she was required to bring a male chaperone, despite his complete lack of experience. Her historic climb with guides Peter and Alec Graham was completed in record time. Afterwards, she wrote, “I gained the summit ... feeling very little, very lonely and much inclined to cry.” A moment of triumph, tinged with exhaustion and solitude.
In 1915, Freda published The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs. The title reflected the language of the day, but her writing told a different story. Her tone was thoughtful and reverent. For Freda, climbing was not about dominating the landscape, but about persistence, presence, and a deep connection to the mountains.
It appears, Freda was also quietly radical in her personal life. She had a long-term romantic relationship with Muriel “Minnie” Cadogan, a fitness trainer and co-editor of the art, music and literature magazine Dupain Quarterly also founded the Feminist Club in Sydney. Although Freda never publicly stated her sexuality, which I think would have been difficult in those days, letters and accounts suggest theirs was a deeply loving relationship. Today, most biographers consider Freda a lesbian, though the word itself was not one she would have had access to.
They moved to England around 1914, and had plans to climb European mountain ranges, but with the eruption of war that dream was cut short. They were staying in west France at the time and in an interview with The Sun, Du Faur’s father reported … in order to return to England, and relative safety, the women walked 20 miles throughout the night to a nearby port, risking being challenged for their passports, in order to make a 5.00am boat.”
Freda wrote a memoir of her mountaineering achievements, The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs: An Account of Four Seasons' Mountaineering on the Southern Alps of New Zealand, published 1915 by George Allen and Unwin. She dedicated it “To My Friend Muriel Cadogan, Whose Love and Sympathy have Never Failed Me, I Dedicate This Book.”
This was a time when being a relashionship with someone of the same sex was seen as a mental illness. The couple were kept apart and Minnie was released into the custody of her family, and sent back to Australia by ship. She died on board and was buried at sea aged 44 years.
After Minnie’s death in 1929, Freda returned to Sydney her parents had passed away by the, and so she lived with her brother for a while, and then in her own home. She became increasingly isolated, struggling with grief, she died by suicide in 1935, aged 52. For many years, Freda's grave in Manly Cemetery remained unmarked. In 2006, a group of New Zealanders placed a memorial stone made of New Zealand greywacke and a plaque to commemorate her alpine achievements.
A screenplay was written by Anita Ross to share Freda’s story but asn't made it to production yet.
Left: ‘Pibrac’, Eccleston Du Faur's 1888-built house at 11 Pibrac Ave Warrawee, Sydney. Photo: Alec Smart. Right: Du Faur and team exploring Grose Valley, Blue Mountains, 1875. Photo: Blue Mtns Historical Society. neighbourhoodmedia.com.au/eccleston-du-faur-founder-of-ku-ring-gai-chase-national-park
Unlike my mum, I am happiest when I am sitting. The idea of pulling off such a feat, especially in six hours, and in a skirt in Edwardian times, is seriously impressive. I imagine it was a time when women climbers were still seen as novelties, and often treated with suspicion or ridicule. I love these photos. She looks so happy, so ready for adventure.
If you are up that way, Located approximately 200 metres along the Hooker Valley Track, Freda’s Rock marks the spot where Freda was photographed after her historic 1910 ascent of Aoraki/Mount Cook. This boulder serves as a tangible tribute to her accomplishment and is accessible to visitors exploring the park.
Du Faur Peak, standing at 2,330 metres, is named in her honour. She achieved the first ascent of this peak in 1912 alongside guide Peter Graham. Situated on the Main Divide of the Southern Alps, the peak is a lasting testament to her contributions to New Zealand mountaineering.
Freda named Mount Pibrac after her childhood home in Sydney, and Mount Cadogan in honour of her partner, Muriel “Minnie” Cadogan. Both peaks, which she first ascended, reflect her personal connections and are part of her enduring legacy in the Southern Alps.
Like Freda, world-famous New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary also trained in the Southern Alps. He ascended the crest of the south ridge (highest of the three ridges) of Aoraki/Mount Cook in January 1948, his first major climb, 37 years and one month after Freda. On 29 May 1953, Hillary became the first climber to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest, accompanied by Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay.
View of Aoraki Mt Cook from Hakataramea Pass. March 2023 by Geoff Cloake Timaru photographer wins top prize for new spin on iconic snap spot
Mt Cook, known to the Indigenous Ngāi Tahu Maoris of the South Island as Aoraki. New Zealand Tourism’s official website states: “According to Ngāi Tahu legend, Aoraki and his three brothers were the sons of Rakinui, the Sky Father. While on a sea voyage, their canoe overturned on a reef. When the brothers climbed on top of their canoe, the freezing south wind turned them to stone. The canoe became the South Island (Te Waka o Aoraki); Aoraki and his brothers became the peaks of the Southern Alps.” It wasn’t until 1998, as part of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act, that the mountain was officially renamed Aoraki/Mount Cook to incorporate its historic Māori name.
Jane Thomson (1858 to 1944)
Trailblazer in her fifties, Jane Thomson was born in Kaiapoi. In 1903, she was one of the first women to cross Copland Pass (a snow-covered, forested route through the Southern Alps between Mt Cook and south Westland was given its name in 1893 after the first European to navigate it, William Raeburn Copeland), despite being told it was unfit for ladies. She carried on regardless and, in 1916, at the age of 57, completed a traverse of Aoraki. She was admired not only for her determination, but for her grace and endurance well beyond what society expected of women at the time. Jane moved to Greymouth, where her husband John worked for the Public Works Department and the Greymouth Harbour Board. Jane did a lot of climbing in the Arthur's Pass district. In 1915, while based for a summer holiday at the Hermitage, Mt Cook, she began a two-year climbing partnership with the Austrian guide Conrad Kain. They ascended many peaks, including Maunga Ma, Mt Jeannette, Malte Brun, and two unnamed peaks. One of these Jane named after her only child, Edgar, who had died after a football accident in 1904. She also climbed a number of peaks without Kain, including Mt Kinsey, Mt Blackburn, The Footstool and Lendenfeld Peak. On 31 January 1916, after three previous attempts, Thomson and Kain traversed the summits of Mt Cook. Kain was criticised for taking a 57-year-old woman on such a demanding climb without another guide, but it was said that she would have been determined enough to continue alone had he not accompanied her. Jane Thomson was the second woman to traverse Mt Cook; the first was Freda Du Faur in 1913. Jane Thomson died in Christchurch on 17 July 1944. She had been one of the first to achieve important goals for women mountaineers, and proved that age need be no barrier to participation in the sport. - teara.govt.nz/thomson-jane
Portrait of Margaret Lorimer. New Zealand Free Lance : Photographic prints and negatives. Ref: PAColl-0785-1-110-006. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23136080
Margaret Lorimer (1866 to 1954)
Scholar and climber, Margaret Lorimer emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand in 1874. She became principal of Nelson College for Girls and was also a passionate mountaineer. In 1918, at the age of 52, she reached the summit of Aoraki. Her legacy reflects both intellectual and physical leadership. She broke barriers on ridgelines and in the world of education, becoming a role model for women. She signed the petition for Womens Suffrage in 1893. She was born on 9 June 1866 at Inverness, Scotland. In 1871 her family emigrated on the Glenmark, Scotland. She spent time in the mountains to recuperate after a stressful school year using Grahams’ hotel at Waiho or the Hermitage at Mt Cook as a base. She ascended one of her first peaks, Mt Moltke, in the summer of 1912 and in spite of the difficulties of cumbersome clothing and heavy equipment went on to have four successful climbing seasons in her 50s. Light, fit and nimble, she climbed Mt Cook in 1918 when she was 52. She showed her independent spirit by making a number of unguided ascents in the company of Horace Holl. She said that she was never so happy nor rarely so well as when she was in the mountains. A member of the New Zealand Alpine Club from 1924 and of the Ladies’ Alpine Club, London, she never lost her interest in climbing and climbers. Lorimer never married and died in Wellington on 29 October 1954. Read more (Te Ara)
Mt. Cook from Sealy Range, photographed by H.C. Peart circa 1920, silver gelatin print. Part of the South Canterbury Museum collection.
Mavis Davidson (1910 to 2004), Doreen Pickens and Sheila MacMurray
First all-women ascent of Aoraki, On 6 January 1953, Mavis Davidson, Doreen Pickens and Sheila MacMurray became the first all-women team to reach the summit of Aoraki. It was a quiet but historic moment, achieved with competence and camaraderie. Doreen Pickens later wrote, “Blue bush, blue cliffs, ragged ridges, and rushing torrents ... a land of shadows; tree shadows, mountain shadows, and the ever-present shadows of clouds.” Davidson, a Department of Lands and Survey draughtswoman, had already climbed widely and would continue to explore into her nineties.
From sacred slopes to shared stories
I wonder what called these women to the mountains, was it to prove something? I wonder how they felt when they stood at the summit, on glacier valleys? Maybe these women found freedom and meaning on sacred ground?
