Kirkliston Range Conservation Area

Located in the Canterbury region

The Kirkliston Range Conservation Area, in the Waitaki Valley, is a regionally significant landscape, particularly notable for its vegetation.

Located on the east and south-west faces of Kirkliston Range, a small mountain range in the Waitaki Valley.

There are several easements to access the Kirkliston Range Conservation Area:

  • Northern region access is via a marked easement from Highland Farm Settlement Road.
  • The main access to Pearson Hut route is via an easement to the southern portion of the range from Farm Road.
  • There is another access easement to the middle region from Milne Road.

The easement on Farm Road and Milne Road may closed for lambing between 5 September and 15 October each year.

The Kirkliston Range Conservation Area, in the Waitaki Valley, is a regionally significant landscape, particularly notable for its vegetation, which includes healthy and regenerating snow tussocklands and alpine scree vegetation.

The area is rated as high value for vegetation and is the boundary limit for a number of plant species. The main ecosystems in the area are tussocklands; herbfields and screelands; matagouri scrub; and scattered remnants of thin-bark totara forest.

The area is habitat for a number of notable bird species including pitpit, paradise duck, black shag and the South Island pied oyster catcher.