|
New Zealand > Otago > Waitaki
Valley
The Waitaki Valley,
situated in the central South Island, is full of
small friendly towns, rivers with excellent fishing,
unique geological formations and fertile agricultural
areas. As it is a little off the beaten track,
it is an excellent place to get away from it all and
soak up some peace and quiet. However, if you
want a little adrenaline rush, there are plenty of
opportunities for that too, with many adventure
activities on offer.
Duntroon, with a
population of 120, is a small but very welcoming town
at the southern end of the Waitaki Valley. It
is located near the juncture of the Waitaki and
Maerewhenua Riversand so it has some excellent
fishing spots. In the Waitaki River you can
catch salmon and trout, or you can go fly fishing in
the Maerewhenua. Maerewhenua River also has some safe
swimming holes. The Waitaki river is a little
too wide and swift for safe swimming, however.
Gold was found in Maerewhenua
River in 1872. However, as the nuggets
were small and sparse, and the frequent droughts made
water sluicing difficult, the area was never
thoroughly mined. Because of this, there is
still a healthy amount of gold to be found by
enthusiastic amateurs. Pans can be obtained at
Dansey’s Pass Holiday Park
If you’re after a little more
adventure, there are some excellent rock climbing
sites nearby. Elephant rocks, on the southern
bank of the Maerewhenua River slightly west of
Duntroon, is the most popular climbing area with soft
limestone and short overhangs. You can get more
information about climbing the Elephant rocks by
asking at the local Duntroon Tavern. They’ll
put you in touch with an experienced guide.
About 2km west of Duntroon there are
some examples of Maori rock art. The drawings
are in red ochre and charcoal on the walls of
limestone shelters. They significantly pre-date
the European settlement of New Zealand. The site is
well sign-posted from State Highway 83 between
Duntroon and Oamaru.
Kurow is the major town
of the Waitaki area. Although it only has a
population of 411, the town services the wider
Waitaki Valley area and so is well-appointed with a
general store, a post office, a petrol station and a
few specialty shops. It is located alongside
the Waitaki River, but also has three hydro-lakes
nearby. As such, Kurow is an excellent spot for
water sports such as jet-boating, canoeing and
swimming
Like Duntroon, Kurow is
famed for its fishing. The most productive
season is October through to April. From Kurow
you can get fully guided fishing tours which cater to
all levels of expertise from expert tuition for
novice anglers to helicopter fly-ins to remote
fishing spots for experienced enthusiasts. More
information about this service can be obtained at the
Kurow Information Centre, located at 45 Bledisloe St.
Once the fishing season is over, the duck and geese
hunting season begins, so there is always something
for the keen hunter/fisherman to do.
The township of Otematata
was formed in the 1950s to accommodate workers
building the power stations in the Upper
Waitaki It is located at the juncture of the
Waitaki and Otematata Rivers It is a small town, most
noted for its proximity to the Benmore hydro-dam,
which is one of the biggest earth dams in the
Southern hemisphere. Guided tours through the
power station are available during summer.
Omarama is the
northern-most town in the Waitaki Valley area.
It is New Zealand’s gliding capital and the
World Gliding Championships have been hosted
here. It is also noted for the Clay Cliffs
which are 10km west of the township. These are
a spectacular example of “badland” erosion,
which occurs when rock is soft enough to be eroded by
running water, yet hard enough to hold precariously
sculpted forms. It results in deeply ridged
cliffs with high pinnacles, deep ravines and
canyons. The cliffs are privately owned, but
the owners allow public access to them. They
are well sign-posted from State Highway 8 which runs
through the Lindis Pass.
Accommodation throughout the
Waitaki Valley region is largely in the form of
camping grounds and tourist cabins. A few
places throughout the area offer farmstays, and in
Kurow and Otematata there are motels. This region can
also be explored from Oamaru and you can stay in
comfort at the Quality
Hotel Brydone in
Oamaru.
|
