Charles Heaphy VC was an English-born New Zealand explorer and recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest military award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that could be awarded to British and Empire forces at the time. He was the first soldier of the New Zealand armed forces to be awarded the VC. He was also a noted artist of the colonial period who created watercolours and sketches of early settler life in New Zealand.
Lake Rotoroa lies within the borders of Nelson Lakes National Park in the South Island, New Zealand. The lake is fed by the D'Urville and Sabine rivers.
Nelson Lakes National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, at the northern end of the Southern Alps. It was formed after the passing of the National Parks Act in 1952. It was created in 1956. The park contains beech forests, multiple lakes, snow-covered mountains and valleys created by glaciers during the ice ages.
Te Kauparenui / Gowan River is in the South Island of New Zealand. Its source is at Lake Rotoroa and travels 11 kilometres before feeding into the Buller River. Mixed farming and forestry occurs on both banks of the river. The river has introduced trout which attracts recreational fishing.
The Heaphy Track is a popular tramping and mountain biking track in the north west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located within the Kahurangi National Park and classified as one of New Zealand's ten Great Walks by the Department of Conservation. Named after Charles Heaphy, the track is 78.4 kilometres (48.7 mi) long and is usually walked in four or five days. The track is open for shared use with mountain bikers in the winter season from 1 May to 30 September each year. The southern end of the track is at Kōhaihai, north of Karamea on the northern West Coast, and the northern end is in the upper valley of the Aorere River, Golden Bay.
Lake Ōhau is a lake in the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand. The Hopkins and Dobson rivers fed into the northern end of Lake Ōhau. These rivers have their headwaters in the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. The lake's outflow is the Ōhau River, which travels from the southeast corner of Lake Ōhau and feeds into the Waitaki River hydroelectric project. The Barrier range dominate the western side of Lake Ōhau, while the Ben Ohau range dominates the eastern side of Lake Ōhau. At the northern end of the lake, in between the Hopkins and Dobson rivers, lies the Naumann Range of mountains.
Lake Brunner is the largest lake in the West Coast Region of New Zealand, located 31 km (19 mi) southeast of Greymouth. The main settlement, Moana, is on its northern shore. It is an important settlement and waystation for local Māori. The first Europeans in the area were loggers, and sawmills were an important early industry. Being several kilometres inland from the coast road, it is less frequently visited by tourists than many of the West Coast's scenic highlights, but it is becoming increasingly popular, in part due to its reputation for fishing.
Lake Rotokākahi or Green Lake, is one of four small lakes lying between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Tikitapu, Lake Ōkāreka, and Lake Ōkataina. All lie within the Ōkataina Caldera, along its western edge.
Lake Ōkataina is the northernmost and largest of four smaller lakes lying between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Rotokakahi, Lake Tikitapu, and Lake Ōkareka. All lie within the Ōkataina caldera, along its western edge.
Lake Rotoehu is the smallest in a chain of three lakes to the northeast of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. It is located between the city of Rotorua and town of Whakatane. The southern end of the lake occupies part of the Okataina caldera. It is fed by Lake Rotoma to the east, and flows westward joining Lake Rotoiti. The lake is one of the least visited, but offers great Kayaking and fishing. It has two access points, Otautu Bay and Kennedy Bay and is well located centrally to many other places e.g. the ocean, mountain biking, hiking etc. It has very good wildlife and birdlife with several rarely seen birds. In particular the endangered Kokako is located close by.
The Kaituna River is in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the outflow from Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti, and flows northwards for 45 kilometres (28 mi), emptying into the Bay of Plenty near Te Puke. It was the subject of a claim concerning the effluent flowing down the river from Lake Rotorua, which resulted in movement to a land treatment system.
Lake Waikaremoana is located in Te Urewera in the North Island of New Zealand, 60 kilometres northwest of Wairoa and 80 kilometres west-southwest of Gisborne. It covers an area of 54 km2 (21 sq mi). From the Māori Waikaremoana translates as 'sea of rippling waters'.
Saint Arnaud is a small alpine village in the Tasman district of New Zealand's South Island, west of the mountains of the Saint Arnaud Range and 90 kilometres southwest of Nelson near the historic Tophouse Settlement. It is situated at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti.
Mount Hikurangi is a 1,752 m (5,748 ft) peak in the eastern corner of New Zealand's North Island, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Gisborne, and 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of the East Cape Lighthouse. On a spur of the Raukumara Range in the Waiapu Valley, it is the North Island's highest non-volcanic peak.
Thomas Brunner was an English-born surveyor and explorer remembered for his exploration of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.
Pourangahau / Mount Robert is a 1,421m high mountain in the Nelson area of New Zealand's South Island. It is within the Nelson Lakes National Park. For many years Mt Robert formed part of landowner and politician John Kerr of Nelson's Lake Station, but was returned to the crown in the years following his death in 1898. The partially unsealed Mt Robert Road, just west of the town of Saint Arnaud leads to a car park that is the start of tramping tracks into the Nelson Lakes National Park, and also a 5-hour loop walk up the mountain: The Pinchgut Track zigzags steeply up to near the top of Mt Robert, then continues along a ridge to Bushline Hut, before descending via the more gentle Paddy's Track. The track offers view over Lake Rotoiti and St Arnaud.
Okere Falls is a small town located 21 km from Rotorua on SH 33 between Rotorua and Tauranga on the North Island of New Zealand. The town is situated on the shore of the Okere Inlet of Lake Rotoiti, from which the Kaituna River flows north towards the Bay of Plenty.
The Travers-Sabine Circuit is a popular tramping route in Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand. The full circuit takes about five to six days, although many side-trips are possible for longer tramps.
Harper Pass, previously known as Hurunui Pass or sometimes Taramakau Pass, is an alpine pass between Canterbury and the West Coast in New Zealand. It was the most important crossing for Māori to obtain pounamu. The first European crossed the pass in 1857 and the leader of the second party later that year, Leonard Harper, gave the pass its current name. It was of some interest to the settlers as the West Coast was part of Canterbury Province and it remained the only feasible route for some years. When the West Coast Gold Rush started in 1864, it became a heavily used crossing and remained so until October 1865, when a dray road over Arthur's Pass opened. The Arthur's Pass route was upgraded in March 1866 to coach traffic standard, and the much less direct route over Harper Pass fell out of use. It was restored in the 1930s as a tramping route and the Harper Pass Track, a four or five-day tramp, is today part of Te Araroa over its entire length.
Maniniaro / Angelus Peak is a mountain in Nelson Lakes National Park, near the northwestern extent of New Zealand's main divide. Although it is not the tallest peak in the Angelus Ridge or the wider Travers Range, Maniniaro remains a popular tramping destination and is significant to the Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō iwi, who claim mana whenua within the area. According to Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō beliefs, the mountain is intrinsically linked with nearby Rotomaninitua / Lake Angelus, with the two both said to represent the footprints of the iwi's ancestors as they embarked on their journey back to Hawaiki. It is also near both major lakes of the national park, being roughly 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the southern ends of both Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa.
