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Māori rock drawing at Kura Tāwhiti

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Kura Tāwhiti Castle Hill

Description

NameCastle HillKura TāwhitiDescriptionCastle Hill Basin/Kura Tāwhiti lies between the Torlesse and Craigieburn mountain ranges and is characterised by its distinctive limestone rock formations. These limestone rock formations are the water eroded remnants of limestone formed during the Oligocene age 30-40 million years ago when much of present day New Zealand was covered by the sea. An early explorer who ventured upon the this curious rock formation dubbed them 'a Cyclopean City'.

Kura Tāwhiti's tōpuni status
The area is of special cultural, spiritual and historical significance to Ngāi Tahu who named it Kura Tāwhiti (treasure from afar). Māori used these rock limestone outcrops to shelter during their travels along a network of trails that gave access to rich food and fibre resources in the Waimakariri Basin. Hidden amongst the limestone outcrops of Castle Hill are traces of 500-year old charcoal drawings traditionally said to have been left by the Waitaha, the first people to travel through this area.

The traditions and knowledge associated with this landscape are still held and valued by present-day Māori. Kura Tāwhiti now has tōpuni status, symbolising a chiefly cloak of protection. This recognises the area's significance to the early Māori and the role of their Ngāi Tahu descendants in the continuing protection of its cultural values.

Colonial settlement
Brothers John and Charles Enys, pioneer sheep farmers from Cornwall, ran Castle Hill Station for more than 25 years in the late 19th century. Charles was a prolific painter who captured the stunning scenery around the area. John Enys contributed much to early Canterbury and served on many committees, including the Selwyn County Council and the Canterbury Provincial Council. Sharing an interest in nature with geologist Julius Haast, John was involved with the founding of Canterbury Museum and the public library. Passionate about the natural world, he collected and studied whatever he could find; native plants, fossils, moa bones, fish, birds, spiders, butterflies and moths.

Castle Hill village
Castle Hill Village began as a development in 1982 when the then owner of Castle Hill Station, John Reid, conceived a plan to create a high alpine village on an area of farmland near Thomas Bush beneath the Craigieburn Range as a centre for recreational activities in the area. Since its inception the village has grown steadily, with the development of recent subdivisions set to expand the village size significantly.Geolocation^[1]

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Kura Tāwhiti Castle Hill