At the heart of the Adams Wilderness, and situated entirely west of the Main Divide, the Garden of Eden Ice Plateau and the adjacent Garden of Allah extend east-west semi-continuously for about 15km, at an elevation of 1800m to 2200m. The Garden of Eden is around 9km long.
For over 70 years the area has been the focus of transalpine climbing parties, and it was an early one of these that provided the name. ‘This névé area on part of the Adams Range was named the Garden of Eden,’ wrote John Pascoe in the 1935 New Zealand Alpine Journal (page 143) acknowledging in the Canterbury Mountaineer 1934/1935 that AP Thomson in their party inspired the name. Routes through the area have often been as important as the climbing objectives. Many of the climbs from the plateaus are relatively easy.
The main access to the Gardens from the east is Perth Col via the Clyde and Frances tributaries of the Rangitata River. This is the easiest overall access but is dependent on Clyde River conditions. The Clyde is often uncrossable, especially in spring with snowmelt. It has usually dropped to crossable levels by late January or February.
From the west, there are two main approaches to the Gardens. One is via the Wanganui valley and Lambert Spur, sidling to the Lambert Glacier. The other is via the Perth branch of the Whataroa River.
Places
Images
in association with the Canterbury Mountaineering Club