Otago Attractions

The Clutha, one of New Zealand's wildest and most abundant rivers, has carved out deep gorges in its westward course from the alpine lakes Wanaka and Hawea. During the ice ages the landscape was reshaped. The hills, worn smooth by the ice, have rounded contours and are covered with tussock grass. The long fjord-like lakes were formed by glaciers and closed off by moraines.

In the west the Otago region reaches into the Southern Alps. Its highest peaks are Mount Aspiring (3027m), Mount Earnslaw (1816m) and the Remarkables, near Queenstown, which rise to almost 2500m.