Settlement 60 km west of Waimate. It lies on the north bank of the Waitaki River where it joins the Hakataramea River. Hakataramea became a rail terminus in 1881. But it was outgrown by neighbouring Kurow (in North Otago) and it never developed beyond a small settlement. At the head of the Hakataramea River, the Hakataramea Pass leads into the Mackenzie Country. The Hakataramea Valley is part of the South Canterbury high country, with broad mountain landscapes. Sheep farming is the main activity.
Meaning of place name
Lit: haka: dance; taramea: speargrass. The name commemorates a dance that took place near the mouth of the river, in which the performers wore bags made from the skin of the whekau (a native owl that is now extinct) filled with sweet-scented gum from the flower stalks of the taramea.
