The West Coast is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island that is administered by the West Coast Regional Council. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. The principal towns are Westport, Greymouth, and Hokitika. The region is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country.
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, near the town of Twizel. Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain, and Aoraki/Mount Cook Village lie within the park. The area was gazetted as a national park in October 1953 and consists of reserves that were established as early as 1887 to protect the area's significant vegetation and landscape.
Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is by far the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of 12,607 square kilometres (4,868 sq mi), and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation.
Ashburton is a large town in the Canterbury Region, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The town is the seat of the Ashburton District. It is 85 kilometres (53 mi) south west of Christchurch and is sometimes regarded as a satellite town of Christchurch.
Methven is a small town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. Methven was named by an early colonial pioneer, a Mr. R. Patton, who named it for his home in Scotland. It is located near the western edge of the Canterbury Plains, 35 kilometres north of Ashburton and 95 kilometres west of Christchurch. The town slogan is "Amazing Space".
Manapouri is a small town in Southland / Fiordland, in the southwest corner of the South Island, in New Zealand. The township is the westernmost municipality in New Zealand. Located at the edge of the Fiordland National Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Manapouri, close to its outflow into the Waiau River, tourist boat services are based in the town.
Leeston is a town on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 30 kilometres southwest of Christchurch, between the shore of Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora and the mouth of the Rakaia River. The town is home to a growing number of services which have increased and diversified along with the population. Leeston has a supermarket, schools, churches, hospital, gym, cafes, restaurants, medical centre, pharmacy and post office. The Selwyn District Council currently has a service office in Leeston, after the headquarters was shifted to Rolleston.
Protected areas of New Zealand receive protection to preserve their environmental, historical or cultural value. The method and aims of protection vary according to the importance of the resource and whether it has public or private status.
Lake Lyndon is a small lake in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located near Porters Pass on State Highway 73 after Springfield heading into the Southern Alps. The lake regularly freezes in winter due to its elevation and location on the outer border of the Southern Alps.
Lows Lake is a lake in the Adirondack Park in northeastern New York. It is in the New York State Forest Preserve Five Ponds Wilderness Area, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Tupper Lake. The Adirondack Park Agency classifies the lake as a Primitive Area meaning that it is wilderness in character, but contains artificial structures and private lands.
The Grebe River is a river in Fiordland, New Zealand. It arises north-west of Lake Monowai in an area once part of the lake but cut off by an enormous landslide about 13,000 years ago. The river now flows north, between the Townley Mountains to the west, and the Hunter Mountains to the east, and into Lake Manapouri's South Arm. Its major tributaries are Jaquiery Stream, Florence Stream, Emerald Stream, and Percy Stream, all from the west.
The Peel Forest Park Scenic Reserve is a 769-hectare (1,900-acre) forest reserve in the Canterbury region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located near the Rangitata River and is in the foothills of the Southern Alps. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation as a scenic reserve, not a forest park.
The Canterbury Bight is a large bight on the eastern side of New Zealand's South Island. The bight runs for approximately 135 kilometres (84 mi) from the southern end of Banks Peninsula to the settlement of Timaru and faces southeast, exposing it to high-energy storm waves originating in the Pacific Ocean. The bight is known for rough conditions as a result, with wave heights of over 2 metres (6.6 ft) common. Much of the bight's geography is shaped by this high-energy environment interacting with multiple large rivers which enter the Pacific in the bight, such as the Rakaia, Ashburton / Hakatere, and Rangitata Rivers. Sediment from these rivers, predominantly Greywacke, is deposited along the coast and extends up to 50 kilometres (31 mi) out to sea from the current shoreline. Multiple hapua, or river-mouth lagoons, can be found along the length of the bight where waves have deposited sufficient sediment to form a barrier across a river mouth, including most notably Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora and Washdyke Lagoon
Te Heru o Kahukura / Sugarloaf is a landmark in the Port Hills to the south of the city of Christchurch in New Zealand. The Sugarloaf communications tower is an iconic radio and television transmission mast located on top of the hill.
Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,250 square kilometres. It is British Columbia's fourth largest park, after Tatshenshini, Spatsizi and Tweedsmuir.
The Ashburton River / Hakatere is a river in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, flowing across Mid Canterbury from the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean. The official name of the river was amended to become a dual name by the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of the endangered black-billed gull.
Mount Peel is a mountain located in South Canterbury, New Zealand. It consists of three peaks, Mount Peel, Middle Mt Peel and Little Mt Peel/Huatekerekere. Mt Peel is 1,743 metres (5,719 ft) tall and is owned by the Department of Conservation and Mt Peel Station. It lies just south of the Rangitata river and is 22 kilometres (14 mi) north-west of Geraldine.
Lake Tennyson is a glacial high-country lake in Canterbury, New Zealand. The first European settler to see the lake was Frederick Weld in 1853, who also named it. The headwaters of the Clarence River are just to the north, and the river flows through Lake Tennyson.
Hakatere Conservation Park is a protected area in Mid Canterbury, New Zealand. It includes 60,000 hectares and offers an array of recreational activities. The park is located in the Ashburton Lakes District between the Rakaia River and Rangitata River.
The Rangitata Diversion Race or RDR is a combined irrigation and power generation scheme that diverts water from the Rangitata River to irrigate over 100,000 hectares of farmland in Mid-Canterbury, New Zealand.The RDR project was the first major river diversion in New Zealand, and the largest irrigation scheme in the country. It was originally constructed by the Public Works Department between 1937 and 1944. The main canal is 67 km long, 10 m wide and 3 m deep.
