Mount Dobson is the common name for Dobson Peak as a result of being used for the name of a ski resort near Fairlie in South Canterbury, South Island of New Zealand. There is an official Mount Dobson being 702 m high at the northern end of the South Island in Marlborough District between Blenheim and Picton, and an unofficial Mount Dobson in the Southern Alps at 2265 m only a short distance due west. Accordingly confusion could arise.

Dobson Peak

The peak after which the ski field is named, is officially called Dobson Peak, and rises to 2095 m just north of the ski field. It is to the southern end of the Two Thumb Range. The semi-schist of the Torlesse Composite Terrane is basement in the area, and to the peak's east are the lower traces of the Fox Peak faults which may have been last active just before European settlement. The higher reaches about the 2000 m mark or outside the ski field are essentially a boulderfield.

Recreation

Ski Resort

Mt Dobson ski area is located near Tekapo, in the southern Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park, and features four lifts being a triple chair lift, a T-bar, a Platter lift and a beginner's ski tow, serving 14 trails over an area of 350 ha. The resort caters primarily to skiers of intermediate ability, with a 1:2:1 ratio of beginner/intermediate/advanced slopes. The resort is situated in a 3 km wide treeless bowl, facing south west between Fairlie and Tekapo. Other features include a natural half pipe, and groomed main trails. There is no accommodation at the resort, and visitors are directed to nearby Fairlie.

History

Construction of the 15 km access road to the ski basin started in 1976 and the Mt Dobson Ski Area opened in 1979. It operated under a special licence from the New Zealand Department of Conservation until 1987 and then under concessions. The ski field was put up for sale on the 22nd of October 2014, but ownership continued with Mount Dobson Ski Area Ltd who had access to 1050.5 ha via lease and recreation permits. A concession license reduced this to 350 ha in 2021.

Hunting

To the south of the ski field, and distinct from it, but accessed via its access road, is a 2436 ha area of tussock, shrub and mountain totara forest at low elevations and snow tussock and alpine herb fields higher of the Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park available for hunting. Red and fallow deer, chamois, tahr and wallabies may be hunted with a permit.

Ecology

The mountain top boulderfield is virtually unvegetated except for occasional alpine cushions of speargrass species, being the native source of hebes such as Veronica pinguifolia, [vegetable sheep, [Leucogenes grandiceps|South Island edelweiss, and scree willowherb (Epilobium porphyrium, E. pycnostachum) amongst other alpine plants. Tussock species, the mountain strap-leaved daisy, sedge and hebes are found on the higher ski runs. Tall tussockland is largely confined to between 1800 and 1680 m on the western side of the peak but is more extensve on the north-east facing slopes between 1600 and 1480 m. Low alpine herbfields with a wide variety of native New Zealand species are found on the lower slopes where there is water seepage and adjacent to the draining streams. Below the ski field there are areas of montane exotic grassland and native shrubland and woodland. This includes habitats occupied by the introduced mammals mentioned in the hunting section and other pests such as opossum and hares. Kea were found until about 1990. It is likely that the insect and lizard communities are representative of those studies have found elsewhere in the Two Thumb Range. Exotic weeds keep being introduced along the access road and such like thistle, gorse or lodgepole pine need to be managed by active eradication.