The Kaikōura Ranges are two parallel ranges of mountains located in the

Canterbury Region Canterbury () is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current form was estab ...

in the northeast of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. The two ranges are visible from a great distance, including from the southern coast of the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

Description

Formed along New Zealand's Marlborough Fault System, they can be seen as the northernmost extension of the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...

in the South Island. Named the ''Looker-on mountains,'' by Captain

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

, they take their name from the town of

Kaikōura Kaikōura (; ) is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, located on New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, north of Christchurch. The town has an estimated permanent resident population of as of . Kaikōura is th ...

at the southern extreme of the more eastern range, the Seaward Kaikōuras. This range rises straight from (and dominates) the coast to the north of the town, and reaches its highest point with the Mount Manakau. The long straight river valley of the

Waiau Toa / Clarence River The Clarence River (; officially Waiau Toa / Clarence River) is a major river which flows through the Kaikōura Ranges in the northeast of New Zealand's South Island. At roughly long, it is the longest river in Canterbury and the eighth longes ...

separate the Seaward Kaikōuras from the longer and loftier Inland Kaikōuras. This latter range contains the highest peak in the ranges, the

Tapuae-o-Uenuku Tapuae-o-Uenuku, formerly Mount Tapuaenuku, is the highest peak in the northeast of New Zealand's South Island. The name translates from Māori as "footprint of the rainbow", though is usually regarded as being named after Chief Tapuaenuku. A ...

, the translation from the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

of which is the poetic "Footprint of the rainbow." Beyond the Inland Kaikōuras is the valley of the

Awatere River The Awatere River is a large river flowing through Marlborough, New Zealand. Flowing along the trace of the active Awatere Fault, it runs northeast through a straight valley to the west of the Inland Kaikōura mountains. This valley is paral ...

, which runs parallel to that of the Waiau Toa / Clarence. The climate is characterised by a dry cold winter.

Demographics

The statistical area of Kaikōura Ranges includes Clarence and covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Kaikōura Ranges had a population of 1,689 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, an increase of 144 people (9.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 270 people (19.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 585 households, comprising 894 males and 795 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.12 males per female. The median age was 44.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 315 people (18.7%) aged under 15 years, 246 (14.6%) aged 15 to 29, 870 (51.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 261 (15.5%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 89.5% European/

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

, 17.1%

, 0.7% Pasifika, 3.0% Asian, and 2.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 12.4, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.3% had no religion, 36.6% were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 0.9% had

Māori religious beliefs Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, 0.4% were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.9% were

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, 0.5% were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and 1.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 186 (13.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 291 (21.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $35,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 213 people (15.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 834 (60.7%) people were employed full-time, 246 (17.9%) were part-time, and 15 (1.1%) were unemployed.

Flora

These mountains are characterised by tussock land, fellfields, and large areas of open scree, while lowland forests have largely been cleared. The Spencer range to the south meanwhile has a more intact beech forest covering.

Fauna

The ranges contain the Kowhai Valley and Shearwater Stream Important Bird Area, some 15 km (9.3 mi) inland from the coastal town of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaikōura Ranges Landforms of the Marlborough District Kaikōura District Mountain ranges of New Zealand