This gorgeous map is the first national geologic map of New Zealand—and it all began in the Waitaki district! The map was compiled in 1865 by Sir James Hector, director of the Otago Geologic Survey, naturalist, and surgeon in his spare time. Hector got together with Canterbury geologist Julius von Haast to put together the map, but progress stalled when Hector and Haast disagreed about the geology they had seen on either side of the Waitaki River. We now know that they were both right—the river marks a major boundary between the schist of Otago and the greywacke of Canterbury. You may be wondering how a bunch of geologists could make such a beautiful masterpiece... they didn't! Local Oamaru legend and architect Thomas Forrester was commissioned to do all the fancy ink and watercolour work, leaving Hector with more time for geologizing. Hector also used this time to examine the world's smallest and rarest dolphin that lives along the Otago coast: Hector's dolphin.