Rakaia Gorge


	Panorama of the Rakaia Gorge opening onto the Canterbury Plains. The snow covered peak is Mt Hutt, the closest ski field to Christchurch. The yellow flowers are broom, which is an introduced weed, but not as bad as the yellow flowers later in the year from prickly gorse. The Rakaia River forms shingle braids, but after rain becomes a formidable barrier, which prevented early Christchurch settlers from easily traveling south until a long bridge was finally built. It is now famous for salmon fishing.
	The Canterbury Plains are rich farming land. These flood plains formed from glacial and river outwash gravel, washed down from the Southern Alps mountain chain. Here the Rakaia River has cut a cross-section, through the Canterbury Plains, revealing two layers of gravel from two separate ice ages. The lower layer is stained yellow from ancient loess, which is ground rock from glaciers. Talus slopes (triangular formations) are forming at the bottom of the cliff. A later layer of loess forms the basis for soil on top of the cliff. During the ice ages, water was bound up in glaciers all over the world. The sea level dropped. Rock flour, ground by glaciers, was carried to the sea and sunk to the sea bed. When the sea bed was exposed, the rock flour and soil debris was blown in dust storms back onto the land as loess. Dust storms also occur down the river valleys even today in windy weather, from fine river silt which has not yet reached the sea. A different form of badlands erosion will be seen later in our tour at the Omarama Pinnacles.	Another version of this picture is on the Schering Calendar for 2002
	On the way to the Mt Hut Ski Field.is the Awa Awa Rata Reserve. In spring time it is a mass of rhododendron flowers.
	Methven is the town closest to Mt Hutt ski fields. The yellow pub is favoured by local residents while the blue pub is a famous apres ski watering hole.