Mackenzie Country

Mackenzie Country is an intermountain basin located in the Mackenzie and Waitaki districts, near the center of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest basin of its kind in New Zealand, shaped by tectonic uplift along the Alpine Fault and by glaciation. The basin extends approximately 100 kilometers from north to south and 40 kilometers from east to west. The Southern Alps form the western edge of the basin. Huge glaciers formed U-shaped valleys thousands of years ago and the great glaciers and snowfields of the Southern Alps continue to feed the great braided rivers that cross the basin.

An area of highlands between the Southern Alps and the South Canterbury foothills which is used for agriculture, tourism and to generate hydroelectric power. In the past, Mackenzie Country was mainly used for sheep farming, but more recently it has also become a popular tourist destination, with tourism being an important part of the local economy.