Castle Rock | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 429 m (1,407 ft) [1] |
Coordinates | 43°35′13″S172°41′56″E / 43.58694°S 172.69889°E [2] |
Geography | |
Location of Castle Rock on Banks Peninsula | |
Location | Christchurch |
Parent range | Port Hills |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Basalt volcanic rock |
Te Tihi-o-Kahukura / Castle Rock is a prominent rock outcrop in the Port Hills above Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a short distance north of Te Moenga-o-Wheke / The Tors, on the northern side of Summit Road. It sits directly to the west of the Bridle Path and the Lyttelton road tunnel. The rocky outcrop itself is 167 metres (548 ft) long, 83 metres (272 ft) wide and up to 24 metres (79 ft) high. [1]
The te reo Māori name roughly means 'The summit of Kahukura'. The area was considered tapu to early Māori, as a pinnacle associated with Kahukura, an atua that manifests as part of a rainbow. According to a tradition, when Ngāi Tahu tribesmen were approaching up the valley below, the chief of Ngāti Māmoe threw his spear from the top of the rock at them as a sign of frustration. [1]
The English name was coined by early European settlers, who used the prominent rock as a navigation reference. [1] Castle Rock is one of the Seven Brothers of hilltops around the Port Hills. [3] It was at various times known as Hammerton Crags, Dover Castle, and Heathcote Rock before the name 'Castle Rock' finally stuck. [1]
The rock was at one time owned by Arthur Dudley Dobson who briefly considered quarrying the rock to sell, however he never went through with these plans. [1]
Castle Rock may refer to:
Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately 1,200 square kilometres (450 sq mi) and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest city, Christchurch, is immediately north of the peninsula.
The Port Hills are a range of hills in Canterbury Region of New Zealand, so named because they lie between the city of Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton. They are an eroded remnant of the Lyttelton volcano, which erupted millions of years ago.
Timaru is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located 157 km (98 mi) southwest of Christchurch and about 196 km (122 mi) northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to 29,600 people, and is the largest urban area in South Canterbury, and the third-largest in the Canterbury Region overall, after Christchurch and Rolleston. The town is the seat of the Timaru District, which includes the surrounding rural area and the towns of Geraldine, Pleasant Point and Temuka, which combined have a total population of 50,100.
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori iwi (tribe) of the South Island. Its takiwā is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti, Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point in the north to Stewart Island / Rakiura in the south. The takiwā comprises 18 rūnanga corresponding to traditional settlements. According to the 2018 census an estimated 74,082 people affiliated with the Kāi Tahu iwi.
Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill is a 182-metre (597 ft) volcanic peak and Tūpuna Maunga in Auckland, New Zealand. It is an important place culturally and archeologically for both Māori and Pākehā. The suburb around the base of the hill is also called One Tree Hill. It is surrounded by the suburbs of Royal Oak to the west, and clockwise, Epsom, Greenlane, Oranga, and Onehunga. The summit provides views across the Auckland area, and allows visitors to see both of Auckland's harbours.
Heathcote Valley is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is named after Sir William Heathcote, who was secretary of the Canterbury Association.
Cashmere is a suburb which rises above the southern end of the city of Christchurch in New Zealand's South Island, on the north side of the Port Hills. It covers an area of 4.71 km2 (1.82 sq mi) and has a population of 6,453 as at 2018.
Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is a major inlet on the northwest side of Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other major inlet is Akaroa Harbour, which enters from the southern side of the peninsula. Whakaraupō enters from the northern coast of the peninsula, heading in a predominantly westerly direction for approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) from its mouth to the aptly-named Head of the Bay near Teddington. The harbour sits in an eroded caldera of the ancient Banks Peninsula Volcano, the steep sides of which form the Port Hills on its northern shore.
Uenuku is an atua of rainbows and a prominent ancestor in Māori tradition. Māori believed that the rainbow's appearance represented an omen, and one kind of yearly offering made to him was that of the young leaves of the first planted kūmara crop. He was a tribal war god invoked before battles, particularly in the northern half of the country. It was said that if a taua appeared under the arch of the rainbow, it would be defeated in battle, and likewise, if they appeared to either side of the rainbow, they would be victorious. The Māori identified hawk feathers and a particular star called Uenuku as being sacred to him.
Somerfield is a suburb in the south of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is nominally bordered by the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River to the south and west, Strickland and Colombo Streets to the east, and Milton Street to the north. The suburb includes Somerfield School, Somerfield Park and a small number of shops which service the local area, although it is predominantly residential. Somerfield is also known for its wide variety of trees, especially along the banks of the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River.
The Halswell River is a river in the Canterbury region of New Zealand.
Sugarloaf is a hill in the Port Hills, 8 km (5.0 mi) south of central Christchurch in New Zealand. The hill is home to the main television and FM radio transmitter for Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region.
Tauhinukorokio / Mount Pleasant, also known just as either Mount Pleasant or Tauhinukorokio individually, is the highest elevation in the eastern Port Hills in Christchurch, New Zealand. It once held a Māori pā, but there was little left of it when European settlers first arrived in the 1840s. The hill was first used as a sheep run, and became the base trig station for the survey of Canterbury. It was also used as a signal station to make residents aware of ships coming into Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō. During World War II, an extensive heavy anti-aircraft artillery (HAA) battery was built near the summit, and the foundations of those buildings still exist.
Ōrongomai / Cass Peak is a hill in the western Port Hills in Christchurch, New Zealand. Its most notable feature is a radar dome that was built on the peak in the late 1980s, which is used for aircraft positioning services.
Motutere / Castle Rock is a 525-metre-high (1,722 ft) mountain southeast of Coromandel, Waikato, on New Zealand's North Island. It was formerly popular for rock climbing, with a number of high bolted routes.
Ara Institute of Canterbury, often simply referred to as Ara, is an institute of technology in Canterbury, New Zealand. It was formed in 2016 from the merger of Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and Aoraki Polytechnic.
Rock climbing in New Zealand, as a sport in its own right, emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While it has been practiced at least since the late 1800s it was largely considered as training for mountaineering. But by 1968 the first dedicated rock climbing guide had been published by the University of Canterbury tramping club, and the following decade saw a rapid improvement in standards and the introduction of new technologies and approaches including the bolting of routes that paved the way for sport climbing to emerge as an alternative to traditional route protection. Pursuit of trad climbing, sport climbing and bouldering all began developing their distinct trajectories separate from each other and from mountaineering.
Ōmawete / Coopers Knob is a hill in the Port Hills approximately 13.5 kilometres (8.4 mi) south of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is the highest point on the Port Hills, at 573 metres (1,880 ft).