UNESCO NZ comes for a visit

To better appreciate the special nature of Waitaki Whitestone Geopark, commissioners from the New Zealand offices of UNESCO enjoyed the role of ‘first geotourists’ - taking in everything the park will eventually offer the world.

During their visit, UNESCO officials enjoyed a walking tour of the Victorian Quarter, a trip to Parkside Quarries (famous for its Ōamaru stone), and a Heliventures NZ Geocopter flight over Anatini where fossils of baleen whales protrude from the rock. As well as seeing the mighty braided Waitaki River from above and hovering by the ‘bad land’ outcrops of the Clay Cliffs they experienced ‘geogastronomy’- food and wine grown within the park’s borders and imbued with the flavours, history and character of the area.