Dunstan Mountains | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Peak | Dunstan |
Elevation | 1,667 m (5,469 ft) [1] |
Coordinates | 44°52′S169°35′E / 44.867°S 169.583°E 45°02′56″S169°22′34″E / 45.049°S 169.376°E |
Dimensions | |
Length | 51 km (32 mi)45° |
Width | 19 km (12 mi)135° |
Area | 826 km2 (319 sq mi) |
Naming | |
Native name | Mataki-nui, Neinei-i-kura, Tiko-umu (Māori) |
English translation | Matakanui translates as big burn on the face |
Geography | |
Otago, South Island, New Zealand | |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | Otago |
Range coordinates | 44°52′16″S169°35′24″E / 44.871°S 169.590°E |
Parent range | Dunstan Mountains |
Topo map | NZMS260 F41 Edition 1 1991 Limited Revision 1996 |
Geology | |
Orogeny | Kaikoura Orogeny |
Age of rock | 200 Ma |
Mountain type | Fault-block mountain |
Type of rock | Schist |
The Dunstan Mountains are a mountain range in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. The mountains lie on the eastern shore of the man-made Lake Dunstan and overlook the towns of Cromwell to the west, Clyde to the south and Omakau to the east. The highest named peak on the mountain range, a rocky knoll simply called Dunstan, is 1,667 m (5,469 feet).
Together with the Cairnmuir Mountains to the south, the Dunstan Mountains form the Cromwell Gorge which was dammed to form New Zealand's third-largest hydroelectric dam, [Note 1] the Clyde Dam.
The Dunstan Mountains should not be confused with the Dunstan Range, a small mountain range which lies approximately 20 km (12 mi) north of the Dunstan Mountains near the Lindis Pass.
The Dunstan Mountains form the entrance to the Upper Clutha Valley. The northwest flank of the range is bound by a combination of Cluden Stream in the Lindis Valley, the Lindis River, the Clutha River (Māori: Mata-Au) and Lake Dunstan. Lake Dunstan follows the former Clutha River through the Cromwell Gorge demarcating the southwest limit of the mountains. The mountain range is bound to the east by the Manuherikia Valley and to the northeast by Dunstan Creek, which joins the Manuherikia River at Saint Bathans.
The Dunstan Mountains are bisected by the 4-wheel drive Thomson Gorge Road which follows Thomsons Creek, incised into the eastern flank of the range and the Rise and Shine Creek on the western flank. [2] Thomsons Saddle, between the two creeks, climbs to 980 m (3,220 ft) elevation.
The summit landscape is generally a broad, gently sloping undulatory surface which climbs steadily from the west and falls sharply to the Manuherakia Valley floor on the east. The asymmetric nature of the Dunstan Mountains is common with most of Central Otago's basin and range mountains.
The Dunstan Mountains, like many Central Otago mountain ranges, are asymmetric antiforms which have formed since the Neogene. [3]
The basement rock is formed from the Haast Schist Group, grey quartzofeldspathic metagreywacke interlayered with micaceous meta-argillite and greenschist formed during the Rangitata Orogeny. [4] The schist in Central Otago has a well-defined pervasive schistosity, with shallow dips defining the broad regional-scale warps in schistosity caused during Miocene deformation (the Kaikoura orogeny). [5] The warped geometries are antiformal over mountain ranges and synformal under the intervening basins. [6] Associated reverse faulting (the Otago fault system) along the south-eastern flanks of many Central Otago mountain ranges [3] [7] [8] (i.e. Taieri Ridge, Lammermoor Range, Rock and Pillar Range, Rough Ridge, Raggedy Range, Dunstan Mountains, Pisa Range) gives rise to the basin and range topography of parallel ridges and basins with steep south-eastern limbs and gently-dipping south-western flanks. [9]
The Dunstan Mountains are a doubly-plunging domal culmination [3] with limbs dipping to the north-west, north-east, south-east and south-west. The core of the mountains in the south are Textural Zone (TZ) IV strongly foliated and segregated garnet-biotite-albite zone schists of the Rakaia terrane. These schists are separated to the north by the gently northeast-dipping normal-slip Thomsons Gorge Fault which places chlorite zone TZ III schist against TZ IV. [3] [10] This low-angle fault zone has resulted in shear zone-hosted gold mineralisation in the form of the Rise and Shine Shear Zone near the Bendigo Goldfields. The Thomson Gorge Fault is a major metamorphic discontinuity, placing lower-grade TZ III schist against higher-grade TZ IV schists; similar low-angle faults are observed in the Cairnmuir Mountains on the south-western side of the Cromwell Gorge where the same relationships are observed. [3] [7] The TZ IV core of the Dunstan Mountains, including the Cairnmuir Mountains, are therefore considered a single range-scale footwall block [3] with the TZ III schists of southern Cairnmuir Mountains and northern Dunstan Mountains as the southern and northern hanging wall blocks, respectively. [3]
Large-scale landslides are a common feature in the Cromwell Gorge and represent a significant geological hazard following the impoundment of the Clutha River behind the Clyde Dam. Seventeen large schist landslides have been mapped along the 18 km (11 mi) length of the gorge. [11] [12] These landslides underwent extensive geo-engineering in the early 1990s to mitigate their movement, [12] [13] and all now have extremely low movement rates as a result. [12] [14] Engineering works included extensive drainage to draw down the groundwater level, toe buttresses and in the case of the Cairnmuir Landslide, a drainage blanket. Thirteen large-diameter tunnels extend into the toes of several landslides in order to drain groundwater which otherwise lubricates the basal shear zone. Combined with smaller drainage tunnels (49 in total), [15] the total extent of the tunnels is 18.5 km (11.5 mi). [16]
On 13 July 2020 a new slip near Cromwell occurred above Deadman's Point Bridge on the true left of Lake Dunstan. The difficulty in accessing the slip resulted in a rather novel remediation technique; helicopters with monsoon buckets were used to sluice loose material and dislodge unstable rock by dropping large quantities of water directly onto the slip. [14] [17] [18] [19] With the establishment of a safe bench to work from, excavators and an abseiling team cleared the remaining loose material over the following days. [20] [19]
The Dunstan Mountains was named in 1857 by the Chief Surveyor of the Otago Province, John Turnbull Thomson and his assistant Alexander Garvie. The origin of the name Dunstan, as used in Central Otago, is uncertain, but thought to originate either from Dunstanburgh Castle [21] in Northumberland, England, or as a reference to Dunstan, the patron saint of goldsmiths. [22]
Much of the Māori naming of the Dunstan Mountains has been lost to time with the best account being compiled in 1930 by Herries Beattie in the Otago Daily Times. [23] Early Māori settlers referred to the Dunstan Mountains by geographic subdivision into lower (southern), central and upper (northern) portions of the range:
The very characteristic rocky tor on the southern end of the Dunstan Mountains, 'Leaning Rock', is called Haehaeata in Māori which means torn in the morning. [23] Leaning Rock was known as 'The Old Woman' by early goldminers in the region, [22] with the Dunstan Mountains being erroneously referred to as the Old Woman Range. [Note 2]
Other traditional Māori named peaks on the Dunstan Mountains are Ritua (Cloudy Peak), [26] O-puaha (Dunstan Peak), [26] Mt Makariri (meaning cold), [24] Mt Kamaka (meaning rock), [24] Mt Apiti and Mt Kīnaki.
The first settlers in the region of the Dunstan Mountains were the Māori as they travelled through Central Otago en route to the West Coast on pounamu expeditions, as well as in search of seasonal food resources. [27] [28] The low Thomson Gorge Saddle over the Dunstan Mountains was not the usual route for early Māori however, who used the Lindis Pass in preference to access their summer camps at Lake Hāwea and Lake Wānaka. [2] [29] The Cromwell Gorge was more-frequented, with early Māori archaeological sites concentrated through the gorge on the true left of the former Clutha River. These sites include small Moa hunter camps with associated Moa bones. [30] Four sites have been identified at Rockfall I and II, Italian Creek, Muttontown Gully and Clyde West. [30]
One of the most significant Māori archaeological finds was that of a paddle in Bendigo. [31] [32] Bendigo itself was not important in terms of Māori camp sites, but an established Māori path over Thomsons Saddle, likely used when the Clutha River was in flood, [28] [32] meant that the area had limited Māori artefacts. Early miners in Bendigo Gully reported in 1872 that they had found pounamu weapons and implements in the gravels they were sluicing. The Māori paddle was found by John Evan, who gave it to Vincent Pyke who then donated it to the Otago Museum, which recorded its acquisition in 1877. [32] [33]
Much of the Dunstan Mountains is used for pastoral farming with stations extending from the range spine to both the Clutha and Manuherikia Valleys. The larger pastoral leases on the north-west flank of the Dunstan Mountains are Northburn, Bendigo and Cluden Stations. [34] On the south-east flank the leases are smaller and more numerous but the larger stations are Moutere, Matakanui, and Lauder. [34]
Alluvial gold was first discovered in the Cromwell Gorge by prospectors Horatio Hartley and Christopher Reilly in 1862. Hartley and Reilly found 87 lb (32 kg) of gold on a bend of the Clutha River near Brewery Creek, [35] spurring the first gold rush into the Central Otago region.
Historic gold diggings are primarily located along the foot of the south-eastern flank of the Dunstan Mountains (Manuherikia Valley) and include Tinkers, [36] [37] Drybread, [38] Cambrians [39] and Devonshire diggings. [40] The most famous gold mining area on the Dunstan Mountains is that of Bendigo Goldfields, located on the north-western flank of the range. Gold was discovered in Bendigo Creek as a result of the rush to the Dunstan area in September 1862 following Hartley and Reilly's discovery. Close to Bendigo are the Quartz Reef Point Diggings [41] on Northburn Station with their characteristic herringbone tailings.
Otago is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately 32,000 square kilometres (12,000 sq mi), making it the country's second largest local government region. Its population was 254,600 in June 2023.
Alexandra is a town in the Central Otago district of the South Island of New Zealand. It is on the banks of the Clutha River, on State Highway 8, 188 kilometres (117 mi) by road from Dunedin and 33 kilometres (21 mi) south of Cromwell. The nearest towns to Alexandra via state highway 8 are Clyde seven kilometres to the northwest and Roxburgh forty kilometres to the south. State highway 85 also connects Alexandra to Omakau, Lauder, Oturehua, Ranfurly and on to Palmerston on the East Otago coast.
The Clutha River is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast 338 kilometres (210 mi) through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, 75 kilometres (47 mi) south west of Dunedin. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest, with a catchment of 21,960 square kilometres (8,480 sq mi), discharging a mean flow of 614 cubic metres per second (21,700 cu ft/s). The river is known for its scenery, gold-rush history, and swift turquoise waters. A river conservation group, the Clutha Mata-Au River Parkway Group, is working to establish a regional river parkway, with a trail, along the entire river corridor.
The Clyde Dam, New Zealand's third-largest hydroelectric dam, is built on the Clutha River / Mata-Au near the town of Clyde. It is owned and operated by Contact Energy.
Cromwell is a town in Central Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Cromwell is located on the shores of Lake Dunstan where the Kawarau river joins Lake Dunstan. Cromwell was established during the Otago gold rush and is now more known as one of the sub regions of the Central Otago wine region. In 2018, the town of Cromwell was home to a population of 5610 people.
Lake Dunstan is a man-made lake and reservoir in the South Island of New Zealand.
The Manuherikia River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. It rises in the far north of the Maniototo, with the West Branch draining the eastern side of the St Bathans Range, and the East Branch draining the western flanks of the Hawkdun Range. The river continues southwest through the wide Manuherikia Valley to its confluence with the Clutha River at Alexandra. During the 1860s the Manuherikia was one of the centres of the Central Otago Gold Rush.
The Cromwell Gorge is a steep gorge cut by the former Clutha River in the Central Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It winds 19 km (12 mi) between the Dunstan and Cairnmuir Mountains, linking the townships of Cromwell and Clyde. It is one of three substantial river gorges in Central Otago, the others being the Kawarau Gorge to the west of Cromwell, and the Roxburgh Gorge south of Alexandra.
St Bathans, formerly named Dunstan Creek, is a former gold and coal mining town in Central Otago, New Zealand. The settlement was a centre of the Otago Gold Rush, but mining has since long ceased. It is now largely a holiday retreat due to the preservation of many of its historic buildings.
The Central Otago wine region is a geographical indication in New Zealand's South Island, and the world's southernmost commercial wine growing region. While Central Otago is best known for Pinot Noir, many white wine varieties are also popular.
State Highway 8 is one of New Zealand's eight national highways. It forms an anticlockwise loop through the southern scenic regions of the Mackenzie Basin and Central Otago, starting and terminating in junctions with State Highway 1. Distances are measured from north to south.
Horatio Hartley (1826–1903) was an American gold prospector who participated in the Otago Gold Rush in New Zealand in the 1860s.
Bendigo is a settlement and historic area in Central Otago, in the southern South Island of New Zealand. It is located some 20 kilometres to the north of Cromwell, to the east of the head of Lake Dunstan, on the banks of the Bendigo Creek, a small tributary of the Clutha River.
The Poolburn Gorge is a gorge located in the Central Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand, 4 km east of the small settlement of Lauder. The Ida Burn flows through the 2.5 km long canyon across the Raggedy Range between the Ida Valley and the Manuherikia Valley. There are no public roads through the gorge; only the track of the former Otago Central Railway, now used as the Otago Central Rail Trail, follows the river on the southern flanks of the gorge.
The blizzard and flood of 1863 was a series of consecutive natural disasters in Central Otago in New Zealand's South Island. In the early 1860s the area was in the midst of a gold rush. From July to August 1863 the gold fields suffered from a combination of floods, snowstorms, and blizzards that caused heavy loss of life among the gold miners. At least 40 died during the July rains and more than 11 in the August snows. Sources using the earliest reports of loss of life tend to greatly overstate the numbers who died.
The Bendigo Goldfields region of Central Otago is an historic area comprising several former mining settlements in the southern South Island of New Zealand. It was part of the Otago Gold Rush that occurred during the 1860s, leading to an influx of miners from rushes in California and Victoria, Australia. These miners brought with them a rich diversity of cultures from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Sweden, China, Australia, Canada, and the United States. The area was named after the goldfield by the same name in Victoria.
Thomas Logan was a pioneer of quartz mining in Otago and was one of few early miners to win enormous wealth from gold mining in New Zealand.
The Pisa Range is a mountain range in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It lies on the western shore of the man-made Lake Dunstan and overlooks the town of Cromwell. Its highest point, Mount Pisa, is 1,963 m.
Deadman's Point Bridge crosses Lake Dunstan at Cromwell, Central Otago, as part of New Zealand's State Highway 8 (SH8). A short spur section, SH8B, joins SH8 on the true left bank of Lake Dunstan, crossing Deadman's Point Bridge to meet State Highway 6 immediately west of Cromwell.
Christopher Reilly was an Irish gold prospector who participated in the Otago Gold Rush in New Zealand in the 1860s.