Castle Hill, New Zealand
In a country famous for beautiful landscapes, only Castle Hill has received one particular honour: being declared by the Dalai Lama as a ‘spiritual centre of the universe’.
Castle Hill is a rock formation set in the Waimakariri Basin, located in the Canterbury high country of New Zealand, about 95 km or 80 minutes north-west of Christchurch. It lies between two mountain ranges – the Torlesse and the Craigieburn. Dwarfed by the surrounding mountains from afar, up close the rock formations tower over the visitor.
Geologically, the boulders are limestone karst formations. They are the water-eroded remnants of limestone landscapes that formed in New Zealand in the Oligocene age (30-40 million years ago), when much of the islands were under the sea.
So, why did the Dalai Lama declare Castle Hill to be a ‘spiritual centre of the universe’?
On a visit to Christchurch in 2002, the Dalai Lama was unimpressed with the energies he found in town. As the Christchurch Cathedral is made from rock quarried from the boulders, he was taken to the original site. Overwhelmed by the beautiful landscape, he had a spiritual experience. Afterward, he maintained that the area was one of the energy centres of the universe.
There is something about nature’s sculptures that evokes the spiritual for human beings. For centuries, humans have regarded Castle Hill as having religious significance of some kind. The Ngāi Tahu – the major Maori iwi (or tribe) of the South Island – named the sculpted rocks Kura Tāwhiti, or ‘treasure from a distant land’. The name is an allusion to kumara cultivation in the area, and is also the name of one of the ancestors aboard the Arai Te Uru canoe, which sunk off the coast of Otago.
The area was used by the Ngāi Tahu for a variety of purposes. Kumara and taramea (used in perfume) were cultivated, and Moa, kiwi, and eel were hunted here. The rock arrangement was likely used by the Maori to set their calendar, by aligning limestone outcrops with particular star clusters. And senior tohunga (expert priests, teachers, healers, navigators and builders) likely trained novices in the area.
The rocks are home to 500-year old rock art – a focal point for a number of strange theories. As the 18th and 19th century Maori had no tradition of rock art, it was believed by some that the drawings were created by non-Polynesian visitors. Julius von Haast, the 19th century founder of the Canterbury Museum, believed that they had been created by Tamil seafarers or Buddhist missionaries. More recently, archaeological excavations of shelter floor deposits and radiocarbon dating have established that rock art was an important part of early Maori culture. Some drawings seem to depict the arrival of European ships, suggesting that they may be more recent.
Unlike rock art in Australia, which has stayed distinct for thousands of years, the geological instability of New Zealand and weathering of the rocks means that the Maori drawings are rather indistinct.
After colonisation, Castle Hill struck European settlers as being of spiritual importance. The 19th century observer, the Reverend Charles Clarke, vividly described the outcrops as
grouped like the buildings of a Cyclopean city, or the circling seats of a vast amphitheatre; and further still huge groups and solitary masses like the gigantic monoliths of Stonehenge.
Perhaps this sense of grandeur is why John Milliken, the owner of a pastoral station in the area, donated the rocks to form the font and pulpit of the Christchurch Cathedral (the main building was constructed out of the more reliable Oamaru stone). Today, the site is a magnet for New Agers, who practice rituals – known as a ‘Transfusion Dance Party’ – nearby.
In 1998, the conservation area was declared as topuni – a state of high mana (authority or prestige), one of only 14 areas on the South Island to reach this status, which also includes Mount Cook/Aoraki, Mount Aspiring/Tititea, and Tutoko.
Today, Castle Hill is a magnet for rock-climbers from around the world. For the less adventurous, the formations still cast an overwhelming appeal. A path leads up to the rocks, but disintegrates once there. Even on a busy day, you’ll likely find yourself alone, loomed over by these incredible natural formations.
Perhaps – like the Dalai Lama and so many others before you – you’ll find something spiritual in the experience.