The Timaru area hosts NZ’s most interesting collection of Maori rock art sites, but most of these sites remain unknown to travelers, as well as most area locals. All these rock art sites are protected with extensive fencing, so it’s not as if nobody knows the art is there. If you are at all interested in pictographs and such, then spend an afternoon chasing down these elusive sites. You’ll see a “real” NZ that few know exists. 100% pure off-the-beaten-path, to say the least!
A Maori Rock Art center is planned near the Timaru i-Site, but as of yet, nothing. If you want to attempt to find these obscure and scattered rock art sites, it’s imperative to check in with either the Timaru or Geraldine i-Site. These i-Sites stock a free “Central South Island Tourism” map with the rock art sites located with icons and the detailed street name/locations to find your way to the sites. I’ll attempt to give some directions here, but be fore-warned, if you only have a KiwiMaps or a Hema Maps, neither is detailed enough to find the obscure spots.
Frenchman’s Gully “Te Manunui” site. This site has some small but amazingly detailed drawings. Also, it has a fabulous interpretive display panel that details heaps of info about the drawings, the area, and the nature and interpretation of the rock art. The drawings in the entire area have sometimes been “improved” with scratched outlines— apparently an attempt by early scientists to “help” visualize the drawings.
DRIVE: Signs on the road point the way to this developed site, but only once you’re within the final 1.3km. The site is off of Pareora River Rd, which runs between Cave and Pareora, a bit SW of Timaru. From SH 1, take Pareora Rd about 12km NW towards Cave. Cross a river ford, stay left at the fork and go 4km more to Craigmore Valley Rd. Go left onto Craigmore for 2.5km then left at the sign for rock art and 1.3km more to the signed site. (Craigmore Vly Rd is about 18km south of Cave).
Hazelburn-Blacklers Cave. This area, all on private farmlands, has 3 different sites to view, all within 700 meters. The first is the furthest in and it has an excellent Taniwha (demon) as well as a nice waka (war canoe). This site is unmarked. You park on the road shoulder, hop over a stile, and clamber up a steep 30m hill to the rock art overhang.
To find the parking spot, pass the long grey metal barn on the right, and just 25m past it, on the left, look for the easy-to-miss path heading up and left to a stile with limestone cliffs above.
The 2nd/3rd two sites are back on the paved road before the barns. About 200m before the end of the pavement there’s a faint path on the south side leading a quick 6m to a fenced overhang site. Not too much to see here, but some red coloring and one Big Bird!
The third site is the most difficult to get to, but also one of the best rock art sites on the entire island! Back a few meters on the road from site 2, across the paddock and up the hill is a limestone gully with a big wide tree at its base and a powerline up and right. There’s a stile to get across the fence here. The rock art is a steep 40m climb up the gully, but first you’ve got to cross the boggy stream at the base of the tree. There’s no easy way here mate, you’ve got to earn these pictographs! Either splash across the stream or possibly get a dry assist from the overhanging tree (I was able to cross dry-footed). Zig-zag your way up the gully and look for the fenced overhang. Wow, fabulous drawings of men, demons, and even meres (war clubs).
DRIVE: This site is tricky to find, impossible without the local map. It’s NW of Pleasant Point/Cave. From either of those villages take Totara Valley Rd/ Cleland Rd (Cleland Rd is 3.5km east of Cave.) At the northern arc of Totara Valley Rd (about 12km from either direction) turn onto Raincliff Rd and in 1km go left onto Monument Rd. Go 4 km then left at Three Mile Bush Rd. The three sites are on this road. Go 1km until the end of pavement—the first site is 500m ahead on the gravel, the 2nd/3rd are 200m behind.
Raincliff DOC site. This is the most developed/signed site and the easiest to find…but the worst to view. There’s very little to see except smudges…but the smudges are well-signed and protected. The site is approx 10km south of SH 79 on Gudex Rd, or 4.7 km north of the previous rock art site. The signed site on Raincliff/Middle Vly Rd is just north of the Scout Camp/river bridge crossing.
Opihi Vineyard site. Surprisingly, this site’s not on the free map…but it’s special. So special that the painting here has its own name—“Taniwha”, which was once featured on a 1960s NZ postage stamp. This is the best rock art in NZ. (Say Tan-ifa.)
Access is through the property of Opihi Vineyards. The vineyard’s café is an excellent place to lunch in the middle of a day of rock art exploring, toasting your findings with a glass of wine, coffee, or eats. To find the rock art you need to pop into the café and ask the owner, Allan, for his directions map (without his map you’ll never find the site, as it’s on his homestead property). This means you need to visit when the café is OPEN! (roughly Weds- Sunday, 11am-4pm) Allan is as gracious as a Kiwi comes and he’ll gladly describe the tricky route to find Taniwha, and then he’ll give you a copy of his treasure map and send you on the 1.5km drive and 5-minute walk to the site. Check www.opihi.co.nz. Address is 804 Opihi Rd, Opihi, Pleasant Pt. Phone 64 3 614 8308
(Here’s a personal anecdote: I’ve photographed petroglyphs all over the USA and Mexico, and let me tell you that Taniwha is special. SO special that I won’t tell you more. Go see for yourself—it’s not hard to see, given it’s more than 6 meters long! And, for photos …don’t snap from behind the fencing, as the angle will distort. Reach your camera through, aim at the same incline as Taniwha…and crop later. Sit with Taniwha and let your eyes adjust to the light and ceiling contours…the glyphs get better as your eyes adapt. This is as impressive of a rock art design as I’ve ever seen anywhere…yet here it hides in the hinterlands of Timaru as one of the island’s best-kept secrets. Please check my Flickr/blog for bigger photos.)
DRIVE: From the Raincliff site go back south 5.5km, turn left on Totara Valley Rd then immediately left onto Gays Pass Rd for 3km over to the Opihi Vineyard. Or, from Pleasant Point take Opihi Valley Rd about 10km to vineyard. Opihi Vineyard is just south of Hanging Rock.
Note to readers: please let me know if this info was enough to get you to these spots...and if it was worth it. [email protected]
