Image: Stephanie Benucci | ©
Rakaia River
Rangitata and Rakaia Rivers area

Located in the Canterbury region

This vast area of mountain land is most often used by climbers, trampers, and hunters.

Stay safe when crossing rivers

If you plan to cross unbridged rivers, know how to cross safely and be prepared for if you cannot cross.

Do not cross if the river is flooded, you cannot find safe entry and exit points or are unsure it’s safe. Turn back or wait for the river to drop. If in doubt, stay out.

How to cross rivers safely

Enjoy the central eastern Southern Alps and eastern mountain ranges, including Cloudy Peak, Armory, Jollie, Arrowsmith and Ragged Ranges.

Landscape

You'll find snow tussocklands; scree, bluff, rockland sparse herbfields; cirque basin tussocklands and herbfields; subalpine shrublands; pockets of beech and hardwood forests.

Plants

Dominant plants are broad-leaved and mid ribbed snow tussock, Celmisia spp., Dracophyllum spp., mountain toatoa, snow t tara, Coprosma parviflora. Forest species include mountain beech/tawai, Hall’s t tara, and kaikawaka.

Animals

Blue duck/whio, kea, New Zealand falcon/kārearea, banded dotterel/pohowera, rock wren/tuke, and arctic tern have all been recorded here.