Kura Tawhiti

(Castle Hill) Conservation Area

Between the Torlesse and Craigieburn mountain ranges lies Kura Tawhiti (Castle Hill) basin – a valley of striking limestone rock formations. They are the water-eroded remnants of limestone formed 30-40 million years ago when most of New Zealand was under the sea. The car park is usually full whether Kura Tawhiti glows under blue skies or is being lashed by wind. It is easy to understand why as the perfectly imperfect limestone lumps lining the valley are spectacular.

The valley has special significance to local Maori tribe Ngai Tahu, since it was claimed by Ngai Tahu ancestor Tane Tiki. The iwi gave the area its name, Kura Tawhiti, which means “the treasure from a distant land”, referring to the kumara that was once cultivated here.

Kura Tawhiti has Topuni status, which is the legal recognition of its importance to Ngai Tahu. Topuni is a concept derived from the traditional customs of Ngai

Tahu chiefs extending power over people or places by placing a cloak over them. Hidden amongst the limestone formations of Kura Tawhiti are traces of 500-year-old charcoal drawings believed to date to the Waitaha people, the first to shelter amongst the limestones on their journeys through this land. Adding another layer to the history of the reserve is its extraordinary plant life. Kura Tawhiti is home to some of the rarest plants in the province. In the 1950s, Kura Tawhiti became the first reserve in New Zealand to be specifically dedicated to the protection of a plant – in this case, the Castle Hill Buttercup. Thanks to the work of conservationist and lecturer Dr Lance McCaskill, the flower now grows in a fenced section of the reserve, which is also home to the Castle Hill forget-me-not.

Kura Tawhiti is located 40 minutes south of Arthur's Pass on SH73, only 2.5km from the Cave Stream Scenic Reserve.