The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern Alps" generally refers to the entire range, although separate names are given to many of the smaller ranges that form part of it.
The Remarkables are a mountain range and skifield in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. Located on the southeastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, the range lives up to its name by rising sharply to create a remarkable backdrop for the waters. The range is clearly visible from the nearby town of Queenstown.
Mount Taranaki or Taranaki Maunga, also known as Mount Egmont, is a dormant stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second highest point in the North Island, after Mount Ruapehu. The 2,518-metre (8,261 ft) mountain has a secondary cone, Fanthams Peak, 1,966 metres (6,450 ft), on its south side.
Lake Wānaka is New Zealand's fourth-largest lake and the seat of the town of Wānaka in the Otago region. The lake is 278 meters above sea level, covers 192 km2 (74 sq mi), and is more than 300 m (980 ft) deep.
Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua at Matatā across the central plateau of the North Island to the lands around Mount Tongariro and Lake Taupō.
In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teachers and advisors. "A tohunga may have also been the head of a whanau but quite often was also a rangatira and an ariki". The equivalent and cognate in Hawaiian culture is kahuna.
Mount Burnett is a hill in Kahurangi National Park, in Golden Bay / Mohua, New Zealand.
Mount Adams is a mountain in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. The summit is roughly 19 km south of Harihari and reaches 2,208 metres (7,244 ft) in height.
Abut Head is a forested headland on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is located north of the village of Whataroa and west of Harihari, and is southwest of the Westland District's main centre, Hokitika. On the southern side of the headland, the Whataroa River meets the Tasman Sea. To the east is the Saltwater Lagoon.
The Ōkārito River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows northwest from the northern end of Lake Mapourika, reaching the Ōkārito Lagoon 15 kilometres west of Whataroa.
The Rotokino River is a short river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows south from Lake Rotokino, draining its waters to the Whataroa River.
The Waitangiroto River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows northwest from its origins north of Whataroa to reach the Tasman Sea two kilometres north of the Okarito Lagoon. The lower reaches of the longer Waitangitāhuna River follow a roughly parallel course one kilometre to the north. Both rivers are linked to the Whataroa River, which reaches the Tasman three kilometres to the north of the Waitangiroto's mouth.
The Waitangitāhuna River are two rivers in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It was a single river until an avulsion in March 1967, when it became two rivers. Since then, the southern portion of the river has flowed into Lake Wahapo, while the northern section discharges into the Tasman Sea north of Ōkārito Lagoon.
The Butler Range is a range located in the Ashburton District of Canterbury on the South Island of New Zealand. To the south of the range is the Rakaia River. The area was first farmed by Samuel Butler, who called his holding Mesopotamia Station. The highest peak of Butler Range is Lauper Peak at 2,485 metres (8,153 ft), named after the Swiss-born explorer Jakob Lauper. Mount Butler is located further south in the Butler Range and is also named after Samuel Butler.
Mount Haast is a mountain summit located in the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, in the Westland District of New Zealand. The mountain was named after the German-born geologist Julius von Haast by James Mackay (1831–1912).
Mount Haast is a hill located near Springs Junction, in the Buller District of New Zealand. The hill is prominent when approaching Springs Junction from the south-east on State Highway 7, where the pyramidal shape gives the (wrong) impression of a volcanic cone. The hill was named after the German-born geologist Julius von Haast by James Mackay (1831–1912).
Lake Wahapo is a small glacial lake in South Westland, New Zealand, within the Westland Tai Poutini National Park and near the township of Whataroa. It was a traditional mahinga kai for local Māori. State Highway 6 skirts the lake's southern shore. The lake discharges to the Ōkārito River via a small hydroelectric power station commissioned in 1960. The ecology of the lake has altered considerably since 1967, when the Waitangitāhuna River changed course to flow into the lake.
Rakatāura, also known as Hape, is a legendary Polynesian navigator and a progenitor of many Māori iwi. Born in Hawaiki, Rakatāura was the senior tohunga (priest/navigator) who led the Tainui migratory canoe to New Zealand. Rakatāura is associated with stories involving the Manukau Harbour, the Ōtāhuhu Portage and the Waikato. Many place names in Tāmaki Makaurau and the Waikato region reference Rakatāura, or are described in oral traditions as being named by Rakatāura.
Waikari was a 17th-century Maori ariki or rangatira (chieftain) of Ngāti Tūwharetoa from the region around Lake Taupō, New Zealand. He was one of the leaders in the Ngāti Tūwharetoa invasion of Taupō, fighting against Ngāti Kurapoto and Ngāti Hotu, and Subsequently, he led an attack on Ngāti Apa, who were settled on Lake Rotoaira and was the main leader in the Ngāti Tama-Ngāti Tūwharetoa War, which marked the final consolidation of Tūwharetoa control over the whole of Lake Taupō. He was killed by Ngāti Raukawa rangatira Te Ata-inutai. He probably lived in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
Ngā Oho, also known as Ngā Ohomatakamokamo-o-Ohomairangi, is the name of a historical iwi (tribe) of Māori who settled in the Auckland Region. In the 17th century, Ngā Oho and two other tribes of shared heritage, Ngā Riki and Ngā Iwi, formed the Waiohua confederation of tribes.
