Trip around the back of Timaru through Pareora and Maungati to find rock art, fossils, memorials to rabbit eradicators, sheep rustlers, war memorials and facinating geolgy from the rise of sea beds and the ooze of 2million year old lava...
Give these challenges a crack along your way...
- What is on the memorial at Holme Station Saleyards?
- Can you find fossils and interesting rocks at the Pareora River
- Walk to the dam, do you know why it was built?
- Listen for native birds at Claremont Bush, what is the view is like?
- See an important Māori Rock Art site, which images are here?
- Take a breather at the Peace Walk, can you find art and familiar names?
- Can you spot an old limestone kiln?\
- Did you know there are 34 routes up Mt Horrible, is that volcanic rock you can see?
- How many bones are on display at Whalebone Corner?
- Can you find the info sign on the at Taiko Hall, why is this special?
- See who the McKenzie Memorial is for, where does the name Taiko comes from?
Find fossils at the Pareora River: You can wade and paddle in the ankle deep river near the Evens Crossing Ford. P:ark by the river, unpack a rug and a picnic and spend the day swimming, throwing rocks, catching cockabullies. Look for limestone rock that is smooth on one side, with fossils that could be 50 million years old on the other side.
Walk to the dam: Timaru's original water source, you can walk along the original water race for about 40 minutes. There is a marked track. While swimming near the dam is not advised, there is plenty of shade for a picnic. See details on the TDC site here.
A legacy deserved of recognition is the Downland Water Scheme, which was a pre-war Ministry of Works and unemployment project. The scheme has been supplying water to farmers in the area since the mid 1930s and said to be a lifesaver here.
Listen for native birds at Claremont Bush: It takes about 30mins walking up hill through a macrocarpa plantation to kahikatea and kowhai. See if you can spy or hear bellbirds(korimako), fantails (piwakawaka), riflemen (titipounamu), grey warblers, brown creepers, and native pigeons (kereru). A wonderful WuHoo is to see the rare native climbing daisy with a bright yellow flower can sometimes be seen in this bush. The turnoff to Claremont Bush Road is abour 2km from the zigzag. If you get to the Pareora River bridge you have gone too far. There is a great voluntary effort for trapping pests to help the native flora and fauna.
See Māori Rock Art: The Te Manunui Rock Art Site is one of the few sites that are accessible to the public from 215-275 Frenchmans Gully Road, Maungati. Tangata whenua believe the bird figure ‘Te Manunui’ (the Great Bird) represents New Zealand’s now extinct Pouakai or the Haast eagle (Aquila moorei, previously Harpagornis moorei) that was associated with the Canterbury area. It is easy to get to and the drawigns are clear. A wonderful place to take your family and visitors and to raise public awareness and appreciation of Māori rock art and educating the public about the earliest stages of human habitation in New Zealand.
Take a breather at the Peace Walk: - Rongomaraeroa is a Cherry Tree Walk that was established in 2009 in the memory of Peter Elworthy. While the land is privately owned, the public is welcome. 143 Timaunga Rd, Maungati
See an old limestone kiln: Lime was burnt in small kilns near limestone deposits in South Canterbury from the 1860-1880s. The lime was used as fertiliser for agriculture and as mortar in the building industry and the tanning in de-hairing hides. You can see the pareora Lime Kiln on Pareora River Road. Leg Des: Lot 1 DP 5952 Pt Lot 1-4 DP 4618. Des: Site of first locally burnt lime, built in 1865, then 1882.
Remember the efforts of those gone before: There is a memorial at Holme Station Corner marking the efforts of the locals for over a century. The first sale was on February 11 1908. Farmers, went along to get an idea of the price to expect for their sheep. The sale always had "a community feel" and it was always great to see the same people each year. It was the women of the district who were the catering team, they were volunteers, and enjoyed the day as much as anyone working together in the small corrugated tin shed and catching up on the social chatter. They always pulled together to put on the morning tea with fruit cakes and sandwiches.The sale was often during the week but when it fell on a school holiday the farmers would bring their children and wives along and they all knew each other from school. The children played and ran around the sale yards and around the the stock trucks creating a life time of memories. The sale yards are on the corner of the Pareora River Road and Holme Station Road.
34 routes rock climbing up Mt Horrible: The landownders are Penny and David Seyb. There is no need to contact them before climbing. Please observe the usual courtesies and show respect while climbing on their land. Mt Horrible is a plug of quality basalt very close to Timaru. If you enjoy trad climbing on good pro and sound rock then this is the place for you. The routes are quite short but have an abundance of well-rounded holds and cracks that vary from finger width to semi off width. https://climbnz.org.nz/nz/si/canterbury/south-canterbury/mt-horrible
Whalebone Corner: Ever thought, if I stuck some whale bones near my house, it would make it easier to find? Worn by weather for over 100 years, you can see the remnants of four whale bones which were brought out from the whaling station on Caroline Bay about 1870. Mr John Machintoch, who built the house on the farm Kingsborough about the tome instructed John Webster to collect the bones on a dray and to place them a the intersection so the visitors could be easily directed to Kingsborough. Since then, this intersection has always been known as The Whalebones Corner. (Take care is stopping here and park well away from the intersection).
Zig zag to the Taiko Hall: Built in 1906 was originally a school, established when the government divided up farm district estates into smaller areas. Taiko School closed in 1948 and the building became a center for activities in the Taiko community. It was a hub. There was the rifle range, the tennis courts and well-attended dances. Now used for community events, 40th and 50th birthdays, as well as a center for darts and euchre players. The hall would typically be used once a week, on average, for various community events. In June 2016 a new roof was put on. The community raised $23,000 for the project. The hall's last major renovation was completed in 2012 when the toilet block was given an upgrade, getting new toilets and a linoleum floor. Opposite the hall is a war memorial.
McKenzie Memorial: Below the shingle zig zag is a memorial and a stand of native trees marking the place at Hika-a-Tama (Taiki Flat) where a flock of 1000 sheep were rustled- believed stolen from the Rhodes brothers - and later found in possession of the Scottish shepherd James 'Jock' McKenzie. Taiko was a Māori who worked for the pastoralist Rhodes brothers and helped locate the missing sheep and McKenzie. He protested his innocence, but was jailed. He escaped twice before being pardoned. His exploits, and those of his dog, won him widespread public sympathy and he became a folk hero. The area where he was apprehended was subsequently named ‘the Mackenzie Country’. This memorial to Mackenzie and his dog is in Fairlie. There's also a picnic table the perfect place to stop for a picnic. At night the sheep were put in yards made with sod walls, and although the yards have since been cultivated, it is still possible to see an outline of them. If you are wondering why a theif might be deserving of a legend, you only have to see the country he went through. Imagine what it was like before there were tracks, fences, trees and willows. Just plenty of spiky matagouri. James Mckenzie was later pardoned. Although spelled differently, the Mackenzie district was also named after James McKenzie, who over the years has become somewhat of a local folk hero.