Travel Guide Kura Tawhiti Conservation Area

On the way to Arthur's Pass, the Kura Tawhiti reserve can be a curious stop in the heart of the mountains. Visible from the road, boulders seem to have been dropped by chance and form a chaos of climbing holds in the middle of the hills. Its name means "distant treasures", following the passage of the Maori Tane Tiki, who came to collect the feathers of the rare kakapo to make a coat for his daughter. At the time, their bright green color was highly prized. Charcoal drawings bear witness to the past and to the intrusion of visitors to these lands some 500 years ago. Europeans later founded Castle Hill Village.