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Story: South Canterbury region

South Canterbury landforms

  • Vegetation

  • Landforms

  • Highways

  • Districts

  • Place names

The map shows the four main landforms of South Canterbury: the plains of the Rangitātā and Waitaki rivers; the coastal rolling country, or downlands; the inland basins of the Mackenzie Country and the Ōpuha and Hakataramea rivers; the hills and mountains of the inland ranges and Southern Alps.

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, South Canterbury region – Landscape and geology, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/11311/south-canterbury-landforms (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 February 2017.