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Geological Formations

Castle Hill / Kura Tawhiti

Erosional and Karst Formations

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Castle Hill, known in Maori as Kura Tawhiti, is a limestone rock formation in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island, situated at about 700 meters elevation between the settlements of Springfield and Arthur's Pass along State Highway 73. Its weathered limestone boulders and outcrops, eroded into shapes that resemble the ruins of an old stone castle, gave the site its English name. The limestone here is well regarded beyond the site itself; stone quarried from Castle Hill was used in the front of ChristChurch Cathedral in Christchurch. Today the formation lies within the Kura Tawhiti Conservation Area, on land that remains a working high country station while allowing free public access, and it is widely considered one of the finest bouldering and rock-climbing destinations in the South Island.

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