Wai tak i Vall ey

The Waitaki Valley is full of surprises, from the fossils of long-lost, long-toothed beasts to the quirky characters who own the local stores. Following the twists of the braided rivers through small towns, along bicycle trails and past forgotten film sets, you never know what’s around the corner.

The Waitaki Valley, running east to west across the 45th parallel, is where 30-million-year-old whales emerge from hillside sheep paddocks. Limestone behemoths roam the countryside. A massive skeletal head of a shark-toothed dolphin is on display in the geology centre and pre-European artworks decorate shallow caves and limestone overhangs. More recent (colonial) heritage is alive in reappointed homesteads and farm buildings throughout the region. And on an international stage Waitaki has a little-known claim to fame as the cradle of modern social welfare: during construction of the first hydro-electric dam in the Depression-era 30s, measures introduced to improve the health and welfare of the workers and their families changed the world. Today many of the people of the valley who are not farmers or in the rural services make their living as winemakers, cooks and accommodation providers for the visitors who ride the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail. Most of this activity takes place along the western bank of the Waitaki River where three enormous lakes, tucked up behind the hydro-electric dams, make the valley an obvious holiday spot for those who love fishing and water sports. The Waitaki Valley climate is hot and dry all summer and cold and invigorating all winter.