Appendix 1 Volume Three 26. The Main Divide and Leatham Conservation Area Associative - Majority of landscape within conservation areas. Leatham Conservation Areas and Values Rainbow Valley popular for skiing, fishing, four wheel driving, mountaineering and tramping. - Remote recreational opportunities. - Passes in the upper Wairau River valley were part of overland routes used by Māori. Overview Based on the above values, The Main Divide and Leatham Conservation Area has been identified as an ONL due to its exceptional biophysical and associative landscape values and very high sensory landscape values. The upper Wairau River valley primarily derives its landscape value from the steep, beech- clad mountain slopes and tussock-clad tops of the main divide that enclose it. This visually distinctive valley provides access to a variety of wilderness recreation experiences. The Leathham Conservation Area in the remote ridges and valleys above the true right bank of the river is popular with experienced hunters and trampers who take advantage of DOC routes such as the Leatham to Molesworth Route. The Leatham and Branch Rivers have very high natural character and the Leatham Conservation Area is also popular for fishing and four wheel driving. The Main Divide area of this ONFL features the headwaters of the Rainbow and Wairau Rivers and includes the Turk, Stafford and Mangerton Ridges and the Raglan Range. The area is largely experienced from the Wairau-Hanmer Springs Hydro Road, which extends from Hanmer Springs into the upper Wairau River valley. The Wairau River valley was also used by Māori to acce ss overland routes through the mountains, including the saddles of the Branch, Leatham and Waihopai to the upper Awatere and Acheron/Saxton catchments of the Clarence River. Modifications within Leatham Conservation Area include: tracks, backcountry huts, occasional small quarr ies, some exotic vegetation, and trig statio ns. Modifications within the Main Divide include: Wairau–Hanmer Springs Hydro Road, HDVC transmission line (and exclusion zone), Rainbow ski field road, backcountry tracks and huts, RNZAF training camp, buildings, stockyards, small areas of pasture, trig stations and masts, and areas of exotic vegetation around the river. The ONL excludes the Rainbow ski field. 27. Molesworth Station and Upper Clarence Biophysical - High geomorphological legibility with geopreservation sites, including Saxton River Values faulted terraces, Isolated Flat, Tarndale-Sedgemere fault trace (Awatere Fault) and Tarndale flats. - Altitude ranges from 549 metres a.s.l. to over 2,100 metres a.s.l. - Molesworth area is of national ecological significance, with over 70 threatened species within the conservation area. - Molesworth supports one of New Zealand’s most diverse lizard faunas. - Wetlands around Lake Sedgemere support a variety of native flora. Perceptual - Molesworth Station is one of Marlborough's and Canterbury’s iconic high country Values landscapes. - Molesworth Station and Upper Clarence retain high legibility through its remoteness and unencumbered land use. - Molesworth Station and Upper Clarence retain high levels of naturalness. - The ONL holds memorable and visually dramatic landscape elements, such as rugged mountain tops, valleys, scree slopes, unmodified rivers, tarns and cultural features. - The entire mountainous area is subject to extreme weather conditions, with hot, dry summers and harsh winters. App 1 - 26