TAKE to the air for a bird’s-eye view of this GEological WAITAKI WHITESTONE wonderland GEOPARK Explore the Waitaki - a land of monolithic marvels and ancient history. Deep in the Te Waipounamu () of Aotearoa, half way between the equator and the South Pole, the Waitaki stretches from the alps to the ocean. Scenic Flights Take off from Ōamaru Airport or the Ōamaru Your Heliventure pilot will be your guide to the Harbour helipad and explore some of the unique prehistoric, geological and cultural history of this landscapes and features of the Waitaki region. unique area. Choose the Coast route along the rugged Waitaki coastline to soak up the marvel of the ‘Global Must-See’ Boulders. Circle the sacred hill of Puketapu - the volcanic gateway to the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark. Or take the Valley route and experience the braided which is home to unique wildlife. Wonder at the working Parkside Limestone Quarry where this natural ancient stone is cut from the hillside. Soar over the ‘Valley of the Whales’, photograph the world famous Elephant Rocks and hover over the famous Paritea Clay Cliffs of Ōmarama. Or choose design your own package to see it all!

Bookings are essential! From the air, you could really appreciate the Phone Heliventures on +64 3 431 3669 significance and beauty“ of this land that has been to book your flight today right below our feet this whole time! - Melanie, VALLEY Geo-FLIGHTS

COASTAL Geo-FLIGHTS

Be captivated by the wonder of the when 9 Paritea CLAy Departing from the you take off from Ōamaru airport, following the Waitaki helipad at Ōamaru Harbour, river, before heading out over the ‘Karst’ landscape of cliffs This is a stunning landscape of spectacular take in our world famous exposed Limestone outcrops. See the ‘Valley of the “badland” outcrops where sharp pinnacles and from the air. Along the way we will explore Ōamaru’s Whales,’ once a vast inland sea, now rich in the fossils of ridges are separated by steep and narrow ravines. historic Victorian Quarter and penguin colony, and get a prehistoric ocean life. bird’s eye view of the rugged coastline and picturesque The Clay Cliffs were first formed as sediments, beaches between Ōamaru and Palmerston. deposited in fresh waters about 4 million years ago, 5 WAItaki River buried and compacted, then uplifted and eroded. 1 MOERAKI BOULDERS An early “super-highway” for some of Waitaki’s first These unusually large and spherical ‘concretions’ peoples, Maori left rock art traces along its shores. Shaped lie scattered along a stretch of wave-cut Koekohe Beach by glaciation and the erosion of the still uplifting mountains, between Hampden and Moeraki. Local Māori legend explains it continues to be an influential force shaping the culture and the boulders as the remains of eel baskets, calabashes, and geomorphology of the district. kumara washed ashore from the wreck of Arai-te-uru, a 9 large sailing canoe. •ŌMĀRAMA

6 PARKSIDE QUARRY • 2 kĀtiki Point In 1906 the first stone formed from the This reserve is steeped in ecological, fossils of ancient sea creatures, was historical and spiritual significance. Here, quarried here. This high grade creamy • kurow Te Rūnanga O Moeraki have worked limestone produced here was used to together with Penguin Rescue, to conserve a build Ōamaru’s iconic Opera House. • duntroon colony of endangered yellow eyed penguins. 7 8 5 MATAKAEA 3 Elephant Rocks 7 Part of the Vanished World Trail, the 6 ŌAMARU Spot basking seals and Shag colonies Elephant Rocks are the weathered remnants • from above. Matakaea has a rich history, of the Otekaike Limestone formation. The from early Ngai Tahu settlement to formations vary from 1–10 metres across historic coalmining. A plesiosaur skeleton and are naturally scattered around a grass was found at this site. paddock on a gentle hillside. 1 4 PUKETAPU 8 anatinI 2 Gateway to the Waitaki Whitestone Anatini is the site of interesting limestone features Geopark, the sacred hill of Puketapu that have been exposed and eroded over many years. 3 is actually an extinct volcano and the Fossils protruding from stone here include baleen whales • PALMERSTON 4 traditional site of the wreck of the Arai Te and shark-toothed dolphins. Uru canoe of Māori legends.

Minimum 2 people - $430 per person Minimum 2 people - $430 per person 3-4 people - $290 per person 3-4 people - $290 per person