Rakaia Gorge

The Rakaia spends most of its length spread across a braided bed several kilometres wide, and then near Methven it is forced into a single narrow channel between rock walls - which is why the water at the gorge is deep, fast and an intense glacial turquoise from suspended rock flour, quite unlike the shallow grey braids upstream and down. Two bridges cross it at the narrowest point and there is a car park between them. The Rakaia Gorge Walkway runs about ten kilometres return along the northern side on a track that once served small coal mines, with lookouts down into the gorge, the remains of the workings and a view up to Mount Hutt. It is undulating rather than flat and takes three to four hours for the full length, though the first lookout is twenty minutes. Jet boats run through the gorge from the bridge. Swimming is not sensible - the current is strong and the water very cold.

The landscape

• The narrow gorge - the braided river squeezed into one turquoise channel.
• The walkway - ten kilometres return on an old coal-mining track.
• The mine remains - workings along the northern side.
• The jet boats - running the gorge from the bridge.

When to go

October to April. Bright light brings out the turquoise. The full walkway takes three to four hours; the first lookout is twenty minutes if that is all you want.

What to expect

The full walk is undulating with some steep sections, not a flat riverside stroll. Swimming is dangerous - fast current and glacial cold. Parking at the bridges is limited and the highway is fast.

Nearby

Methven and Mount Hutt are west; Mount Sunday is up the Rangitata Valley.

Key facts