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Nature and biodiversity
The diverse landscapes of the Waitaki Whitestone UNESCO Global Geopark support native plants and wildlife. From rare penguins and fur seals lounging on rocky shores, to native fish wriggling through braided rivers, nature is a big part of the Geopark story.
A braided ecosystem
The Waitaki River is one of New Zealand's iconic braided rivers, with wide gravel beds and ever-changing channels. These rivers are rare around the world and are only found in places with high rates of tectonic uplift, fragile shattered geology and high rainfall.
The shifting channels and gravel islands create a unique habitat for native plants and wildlife to evolve. The Waitaki lowland longjaw galaxid fish (Galaxias cobitinis) has adapted to the floods and dries of braided channels by wriggling down into the shingle.
A haven for rare river birds
The Lower Waitaki River is home to New Zealand's largest breeding colony of the endangered black-fronted tern (tarapiroe). These birds lay their camouflaged eggs on gravel islands, where fast-flowing channels help protect them from predators.
The river is also an important breeding ground for the wrybill (ngutu pare)—the only bird in the world with a beak that curves to the right. This unusual bill helps it find insects hiding beneath river stones. When threatened, wrybills freeze, blending perfectly into the shingle riverbed.
Coastal wildlife
The Waitaki coastline is rich in marine life and seabirds. It is home to kororā (little blue penguins), the world's smallest penguins, and takaraka (yellow-eyed penguins), one of the rarest penguin species on Earth. You may also spot Otago shags fishing offshore or nesting on coastal cliffs, while New Zealand fur seals can often be seen resting on rocky shores after feeding at sea.
Unique limestone plants
The Geopark's limestone landscapes support a surprising variety of native plants found nowhere else. Several rare gentian species grow only on these limestone outcrops, along with Holloway's broom, a native shrub found only in the Lower Waitaki area.
Home of the grand skink
The Waitaki Whitestone UNESCO Global Geopark is also one of the best places to see the grand skink and Otago skink—two of New Zealand's largest and rarest lizards. Found mainly around the Macraes area, these impressive reptiles are specially adapted to the cool climate and rocky outcrops of inland Otago.
