Kakanui Range
Mountain range in Otago, New Zealand
title: "Kakanui Range" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountain-ranges-of-otago"] description: "Mountain range in Otago, New Zealand" topic_path: "general/mountain-ranges-of-otago" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakanui_Range" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Mountain range in Otago, New Zealand ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| photo | Otago Kakanui Mountain.jpg |
| photo_caption | The Kakanui Range dominates the eastern horizon of the Maniototo. |
| map_image | {{OSM Location map |
| width | 280 |
| float | center |
| coord | |
| zoom | 9 |
| mark-coord1 | |
| label1 | Mount Pisgah |
| mark-title1 | Mount Pisgah |
| mark-description1 | 1643 m |
| shape1 | triangle |
| mark-size1 | 8 |
| mark-coord2 | |
| label2 | Mount Nobbler |
| mark-title2 | Mount Nobbler |
| mark-description2 | 1550 m |
| mark-coord3 | |
| label3 | Kakanui Peak |
| mark-title3 | Kakanui Peak |
| mark-description3 | 1528 m |
| ldy3 | -2 |
| mark-coord4 | |
| label4 | Obi |
| mark-title4 | Obi |
| mark-description4 | 1426 m |
| mark-coord5 | |
| ldy4 | 2 |
| label5 | Mount Alexander |
| mark-title5 | Mount Alexander |
| mark-description5 | 1357 m |
| mark-coord6 | |
| label6 | Mount Dasher |
| mark-title6 | Mount Dasher |
| mark-description6 | 1304 m |
| mark-coord7 | |
| label7 | Kattothryst |
| ldy7 | 3 |
| mark-title7 | Kattothryst |
| mark-description7 | 1293 m |
| mark-coord8 | |
| label8 | Pigroot Hill |
| mark-title8 | Pigroot Hill |
| mark-description8 | 758 m |
| arc-coordA | |
| arc-textA | Kakanui Range |
| arc-text-sizeA | 10 |
| arc-text-colorA | gray |
| arc-angleA | 55 |
| arc-gapA | 0.5 |
| arc-radiusA | 2 |
| arc-coordB | |
| arc-textB | Horse Range |
| arc-text-sizeB | 10 |
| arc-text-colorB | gray |
| arc-angleB | 45 |
| arc-gapB | 0.5 |
| arc-radiusB | 2 |
| highest | Mount Pisgah |
| coordinates | |
| elevation_m | 1643 |
| native_name | |
| native_name_lang | |
| location | |
| country_type | |
| country | |
| state | |
| region | |
| district | |
| part | |
| settlement_type | Use settlement_type= instead of city_type= (deprecated). |
| settlement | |
| range_coordinates | |
| :: |
| name =
| other_name =
| photo = Otago Kakanui Mountain.jpg
| photo_size =
| photo_alt =
| photo_caption = The Kakanui Range dominates the eastern horizon of the Maniototo.
| map_image = {{OSM Location map
| width =280
| float = center
| coord =
| zoom = 9
| mark-coord1 =
| label1 = Mount Pisgah
| mark-title1 = Mount Pisgah
| mark-description1 = 1643 m
| shape1 = triangle
| mark-size1 = 8
| mark-coord2 =
| label2 = Mount Nobbler
| mark-title2 = Mount Nobbler
| mark-description2 = 1550 m
| mark-coord3 =
| label3 = Kakanui Peak
| mark-title3 = Kakanui Peak
| mark-description3 = 1528 m
| ldy3 = -2
| mark-coord4 =
| label4 = Obi
| mark-title4 = Obi
| mark-description4 = 1426 m
| mark-coord5 =
| ldy4 = 2
| label5 = Mount Alexander
| mark-title5 = Mount Alexander
| mark-description5 = 1357 m
| mark-coord6 =
| label6 = Mount Dasher
| mark-title6 = Mount Dasher
| mark-description6 = 1304 m
| mark-coord7 =
| label7 = Kattothryst
| ldy7 = 3
| mark-title7 = Kattothryst
| mark-description7 = 1293 m
| mark-coord8 =
| label8 = Pigroot Hill
| mark-title8 = Pigroot Hill
| mark-description8 = 758 m
| arc-coordA =
| arc-textA = Kakanui Range
| arc-text-sizeA = 10
|arc-text-colorA = gray
| arc-angleA = 55
| arc-gapA = 0.5
| arc-radiusA = 2
| arc-coordB =
| arc-textB = Horse Range
| arc-text-sizeB = 10
|arc-text-colorB = gray
| arc-angleB = 45
| arc-gapB = 0.5
| arc-radiusB = 2
| highest = Mount Pisgah
| coordinates = | elevation = | elevation_m = 1643 | elevation_ft = | elevation_ref = | elevation_system = | prominence = | prominence_m = | prominence_ft = | prominence_ref = | parent_peak = | isolation = | isolation_km = | isolation_mi = | isolation_parent = | isolation_ref = | listing = | coordinates_ref = | length = | length_km = | length_mi = | length_orientation = | length_ref = | width = | width_km = | width_mi = | width_orientation = | width_ref = | area = | area_km2 = | area_mi2 = | area_ref = | volume = | volume_km3 = | volume_mi3 = | volume_ref = | etymology = | nickname = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | translation = | pronunciation = | authority = | location = | country_type = | country = | state_type = | state = | region_type = | region = | district_type = | district = | part_type = | part = | settlement_type = Use settlement_type= instead of city_type= (deprecated). | settlement = | range_coordinates = | range_coordinates_ref = | range = | borders_on = | grid_ref_UK = | grid_ref_UK_ref = | grid_ref_Ireland = | grid_ref_Ireland_ref = | topo_maker = | topo_map = | biome = | formed_by = | orogeny = | age = | type = | geology = | volcanic_region = | volcanic_arc = | volcanic_belt = | volcanic_field = | volcanic_arc/belt = | last_eruption = | first_ascent = | easiest_route = | normal_route = | access = | embedded = | module = The Kakanui Range (or Kakanui Mountains) is a range of high hills located inland from Oamaru in the South Island of New Zealand. The range forms a boundary between the valley of the Waitaki River to the north and the high plateau known as the Maniototo and the upper watershed of the Taieri River to the southwest.
The western Kakanui Range is crossed by road at Danseys Pass, which has a saddle at 935 m. The eastern portions start to the north east of The Pigroot and Pigroot Hill to the east of the road is a foothill of the range.
Geology
The southwestern slopes of the Kakanui Range were a major goldfield during the Otago gold rush of the 1860s. Relics from this goldrush can be found at Kyeburn and Naseby.
The Kakanui Range is composed of metamorphosed sedimentary rocks of the Rakaia Terrane. This has been described as quartzofeldspathic semischist.
The Kakanuis continue as the Horse Range and then the Blue Mountains (there is another range called the Blue Mountains in Otago) to the Pacific at Shag Point. Except where exposed by stream erosion or road cuttings there is no surface evidence of the rhyolitic deposits from what must have been a surface eruption at about 112 million years ago that extends this distance of 50 km and was subsequently covered by ocean sediments.
Soil
The soil in farmland near the ranges is acid and has the potential to cause aluminium toxicity in crops. Partial mitigation can be with lime, with full mitigation with gypsum unlikely to be economic.
Peaks
The highest point in the Kakanui Range is Mount Pisgah, at 1643 m. ::data[format=table title="Named Peaks in Kakanui Range"]
| Name | Height | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Pisgah | 1643 m | |
| Mount Nobbler | 1550 m | |
| Kakanui Peak | 1528 m | |
| Obi | 1426 m | |
| Mount Alexander | 1357 m | |
| Mount Dasher | 1304 m | |
| Kattothryst | 1293 m | |
| Pigroot Hill | 758 m | |
| :: |
References
References
- "NZTopoMap:Kakanui Mountains".
- "NZTopoMap:Pigroot Hill".
- (2006). "Carboniferous conodonts from Rakaia Terrane, East Otago, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics.
- "NZTopoMap:Blue Mountains".
- (1919). "Bulletin".
- (2009). "Cretaceous felsic volcanism in New Zealand and Lord Howe Rise (Zealandia) as a precursor to final Gondwana break-up". Geological Society, London, Special Publications.
- Venter, H.J.. (2017). "Science and policy: nutrient management challenges for the next generation Occasional Report No. 30". Fertilizer and Lime Research Centre, Massey University.
- "NZTopoMap:Mount Pisgah".
- "NZTopoMap:Mount Nobbler".
- "NZTopoMap:Kakanui Peak".
- "NZTopoMap:Obi".
- "NZTopoMap:Mount Alexander".
- "NZTopoMap:Mount Dasher".
- "NZTopoMap:Kattothryst".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::