Takaka Hill Saddle

Takaka Hill Saddle

Marmorbrocken im Feld. Der Marmor aus dieser Gegend wurde auch für das Parlamentsgebäude in Wellington verwendet.

Die Passstraße über den 791 m hohen Takaka Hill Saddle bietet eine Verbindung zwischen der Golden Bay (Pohara) und der Tasman Bay (Marahau). In der Umgebung des Takaka Hill liegt auch das tiefste Höhlensystem Neuseelands.

Von hier führt die Canaan Road zur Harwood's Hole einem 176m tiefen Marmorschacht. Das Gebiet ist besonder für Mountainbiker sehr zu empfehlen.

Weitere Infos von Wikipedia:

Takaka Hill is a range of hills located in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. Made of marble which has weathered into many strange forms and with numerous sink holes, it is typical karst country.

The only road linking over the hill winds around the flanks of Takaka Hill, following the valleys of the Takaka River to the northwest and the Riwaka River to the southeast.

It rises to 760 metres, and separates the coastal communities of Golden Bay from those of the more populous Tasman Bay to the southeast and because of its winding nature isolates Golden Bay from the rest of the South Island.


Takaka Hill is notable for its its marble quarry and for its many caves, including Ngarua Caves which are open to the public and feature deposits of moa bones. Howards Hole, The biggest vertical cave in the southern hemisphere, is also to be found on Takaka Hill.