This area of Canterbury, New Zealand boasts three distinct Heritage Trails. These meander through the countryside, stopping at historic locations and offering insights into early life in the region. The region is the ideal base to explore Mount Hutt, Mount Cook and the Waitaki Lakes, where the films "Vertical Limit" and "Lord of the Rings" were shot. The area has over 300 historical Maori rock art sites and several early settler museums. Inventor Richard Pearse was reputedly airborne nine months before the Wright Brothers, and relics of his aviation are displayed at Pleasant Point Railway Museum. The only surviving 1929 Spartan Biplane can be seen at the Geraldine Vintage Car and Machinery Museum.