The Manawatu Gorge
The Manawatu Gorge in the North Island of New Zealand is often called a unique landform because its river flows from one side of a mountain range to the other rather than from a divide, as do most rivers.
Initially the river flowed westwards across a landscape that had no surface expression of the present mountain ranges. Over the last million years, a wedge of basement greywacke rock has been slowly thrust upwards between two major faults. During this period, the Manawatu River has continually cut down through the rising mountain range to create the present-day gorge.
Uplift of the mountain range has probably been increasing at a faster rate because the bottom walls of the gorge are vertical compared with the upper walls and slopes, which are progressively less steep. The road and railway cling to the top of the vertical walls.
Movement on the eastern (Wellington) fault is lateral as well as vertical. The eastern entrance of the gorge has been displaced southwards by 1.5 kilometres. This has forced the Manawatu River to flow northwards along the line of the fault before flowing westwards again.
An indication of the time it has taken for the gorge to become the feature it is today, are the marine sediments found on the Saddle Road (1300 feet above sea level). These were deposited within the past million years when the sea extended through the gorge area to the east coast basins.
Maori named the Manawatu Gorge, Te Apiti (the narrow passage) and the river, Te Au-Rere-a-Te-Tonga (the rushing current of the south).
The large reddish-coloured rock that stands in the Manawatu River near the centre of the gorge was named Te Ahu-a-Turanga meaning a scared place of Turanga - an ancient ancestor of the Rangitane people of the Manawatu.
The reddish rock was considered the guardian spirit of the gorge - a place where Maori travelling by canoe would recite karakia to ensure their safety. Legend has it that the rock always remains above water even when the river experiences its highest floods. Its pinky colour is said to change in intensity if a prominent member of the local Rangitane tribe dies or blood is shed.
Visitors can explore the gorge on the Manawatu Gorge Walk, which stretches the full length of the gorge where it rises high above road level.
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
