Clay Cliffs, Omarama

The Clay Cliffs are a small but spectacular area of eroded cliffs visible from the Omarama - Lindis Pass Road.

Access to the cliffs is from the Omarama - Twizel Road (SH8) about 4 km north of Omarama travelling towards Twizel.

The Clay Cliffs are on private property, with free access accompanied by a request for a $5 honesty payment for each person.

This information is based on a trip we made in October 2009 in fine dry conditions.

Click here to link to the route on Google Maps.

Turn off State Highway 8 onto Quailburn Road and travel about 4 km on a sealed road to Henburn Road. Turn left onto Henburn Road, a well-formed unsealed road.

At the end of Henburn Road is a track which, when we visited on October 2009 had several sections affected by washouts.

On our adventure bikes we managed to get to within 50 metres of the cliffs.  The condition of the final several hundered metres of the track is likely to change with the season.

The Clay Cliffs are a type of formation is usually found in areas with an arid or semi-arid climate, and which experience infrequent heavy rain storms.  The silt and gravels must be compact enough to stand in steep faces, but soft enough to be eroded by running water.

The cliffs were formed from layers of gravel and silt deposited by rivers flowing from glaciers 1 to 2 million years ago. The bands of gravel and silt, which have been tilted since they were deposited first deposited, can be easily seen in the exposed cliff faces. The cliffs are much younger than the surrounding mountains which are about 250 million years old.  The gullies and pinnacles have been formed by weathering over thousands of years.

The Clay Cliffs are protected forever by a Queen Elizabeth II National Trust Open Space Covenant.