Rock and Pillar Range
| Rock and Pillar Range | |
|---|---|
 The north end of the Rock and Pillar Range is visible in the distance in this picture taken from near Ranfurly | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Summit Rock |
| Elevation | 1,450 m (4,760 ft) |
| Coordinates | 45°25′30″S 170°04′16″E / 45.425°S 170.071°E |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Patearoa (Māori) |
| Geography | |
| Location | South Island, New Zealand |
| Range coordinates | 45°23′S 170°07′E / 45.383°S 170.117°E |
The Rock and Pillar Range (Māori: Patearoa),[1] is a range of high hills is located in the Maniototo, an area of inland Otago, New Zealand. The range is surrounded on three sides by the Taieri River, which has its source in the Lammerlaw Range. The river flows out across the scroll plain at Paerau, along the north west flanks of the Rock and Pillar Range before almost doubling back on itself at Waipiata and flowing back along the eastern side past Hyde through the Strath-Taieri. The town of Middlemarch lies close to the Taieri River to the east of the range, and Patearoa lies to the northwest.[2]
The Rock and Pillars are a horst range, caused by movement on two parallel faults uplifting the area in between. Thus, the range is characterised by a very flat top, with steep escarpments on either side. The Great Moss Swamp lies on the upper surface of the range. There is a often persistent and unusual cloud formation associated with the range. This strange cloud formation, is more or less stationary and is called the Taieri Pet by the local inhabitants. It is formed by high north-westerly winds being forced upward over the Rock & Pillar range.[1][3] Big Hut, situated near the summit of the range, is available for public use.[4]
The Rock and Pillar Range is the border separating the Central Otago District from the Dunedin City administrative area within the Otago Region.
Peaks
The range takes its name from the rock formations that cover parts of it. The highest point in the range is Summit Rock at 1,450 metres (4,760 ft) which has also been called Summit Peak.[5] Other named peaks include Museum Rock at 1,380 metres (4,530 ft)[6] (locally also called Stonehenge, although this name is also used on the other side of the range near Paerau)[7] and McPhee's Rock at 1,010 metres (3,310 ft).[8]
Fauna and Flora
The nationally endangered Burgan Skink is endemic to the Rock and Pillar range.[9] This range is also an area of narrow-range endemism for New Zealand endemic moths.[10] The moth species Ichneutica schistella can only be found in this area.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Tracks in the Rock and Pillar Conservation Area" (PDF). Department of Conservation. May 2019.
- ^ "Rock And Pillar Range". New Zealand Gazetteer. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Doermann, Lindsey (18 September 2024). "Suspended in Sky: The Ethereal Dance of Otago's Taieri Pet Cloud". SciTechDaily. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Salisbury, Ray (20 May 2022). "Big Hut, Rock and Pillar Conservation Area". Wilderness Magazine. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "NZGB Gazetteer:Summit Rock". gazetteer.linz.govt.nz. LINZ. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "NZGB Gazetteer:Museum Rock". gazetteer.linz.govt.nz. LINZ. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "NZTopoMap:Stonehenge". Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "NZGB Gazetteer: McPhee's Rock". gazetteer.linz.govt.nz. LINZ. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ Chapple, David G.; Bell, Trent; CHAPPLE, STEPHANIE N. J.; MILLER, KIMBERLY A.; DAUGHERTY, CHARLES H.; PATTERSON, GEOFF B. (3 March 2011). "Phylogeography and taxonomic revision of the New Zealand cryptic skink (Oligosoma inconspicuum; Reptilia: Scincidae) species complex". Zootaxa. 2782 (1): 1. doi:10.11646/ZOOTAXA.2782.1.1.
- ^ a b Hoare, Robert J. B. (9 December 2019). "Noctuinae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 2: Nivetica, Ichneutica" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 80. Illustrator: Birgit E. Rhode: 1–455. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.80. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q94481265. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2021.