Silverpeaks, Otago

The Silverpeaks (sometimes spelt Silver Peaks) is an area of rough forest, tussock and scrub covered hill country inland and to the northwest of Dunedin. The area is largely uninhabited; the main indication of human activity is the Taieri Gorge Railway which preserves the route of the former Otago Central Railway that runs along the steep-sided valley of the Taieri River. Much of the area lies within the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve.

As the name suggests, the region is often snow-coated in winter, and the weather in the Silverpeaks is notoriously unpredictable. A network of walking tracks crisscross the area. 

Several of the peaks rise to above 600 metres. The highest points in the Silverpeaks include Silver Peak (753 m), known in Maori as Huatea, Pulpit Rock (750 m), Mount Allen (705 m),  Mount Misery (702 m). Several tributaries of the Taieri River have their sources on the slopes of the Silverpeaks to the west