Lake Rebekah, as it's been called by the owners of the property it's on, was formed when the Leader River was dammed by a landslip during the Kaikoura earthquake. Photo / David Kelly
Lake Rebekah, as it's been called by the owners of the property it's on, was formed when the Leader River was dammed by a landslip during the Kaikoura earthquake. Photo / David Kelly
A huge new body of water on their property wasn't part of their plan, but these North Canterbury farmers want to make hay while the sun shines.
It's not every day you wake to find a new water feature in your back yard, but that's exactly what happened to Waiau farmers Rebekah and David Kelly as November 14th, 2016 dawned.
Like many of their fellow Cantabrians, the couple had been shaken awake in the early hours by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake which had its epicenter less than 20km southwest of their property.
After grabbing their four children and running out of the house, Rebekah recalls hearing a "rumbling, roaring noise" that she likened to a river in flood.
It was dark however, and they had more pressing matters to attend to — like checking David's mother who lived nearby was alright — so they initially gave it no more thought.
"It wasn't until the next morning when [David] came in to check how everything was — what the house was like and whether the stock were ok — that he noticed that half one of the hillsides had disappeared into the riverbed," Rebekah says.
"He came back to us and just said 'you guys will never believe what I've just seen' and so we all jumped in the car and he drove us out there to have a look at it and it was just amazing."
The vast slip had completely dammed the Leader River, which runs through the Kellys' property, and a lake had begun to form.
Photos snapped by the Kellys over subsequent days show how quickly the water level rose and while it's an unexpected addition to their land, they're choosing to look at the potentially positive side-effects of the lake's appearance.
"Sheep and beef farming has really been struggling in terms of markets recently," Rebekah explains. "We're not getting big prices — and so you're always looking for another string to your bow."
Lake Rebekah on November 16th, 2016: two days post-quake. The sheep all made it up the bank safely before the lake level rose further. Photo / Rebekah Kelly
She's hoping the new body of water — tentatively called Lake Rebekah — could be just the feature they need to attract tourists to their farm.
"We've always wanted to have some safari tents to run some sort of a glamping operation, but we could never quite decide where would be a good place, so I was on TradeMe last night having a good poke around," Rebekah says.
"It's a beautiful place but it's a bit isolated, so you need a bit of a drawcard."
So, is the lake here to stay?
"We've spoken to various geotech people and there's no imminent risk of the dam wall subsiding — it's a fairly substantial width," Rebekah says.
Lake Rebekah on November 18th, 2016: four days post-quake. Photo / Rebekah Kelly
Because the landslide came all the way across to the terrace on the far side of the riverbed, the place where it eventually overflows will be at ground level.
"We think it's got three or four metres to rise still, before it will overtop the lowest point . . . The geotech guys say it will erode away quietly, most likely, but we still could be left with something there."
Dr Kate Pedley, Senior Tutor of Geological Sciences at the University of Canterbury, is a member of the team that has been mapping the faults following the recent earthquake and looking at the geological changes in the Waiau area.
She says part of the reason there's been so much earth movement on the Kellys' property is that it's "smack bang" in the middle of a system of cross faults which run south to north against the other faults in the area which largely run west to east.
"The cross faults seem to have more uplift on them and that creates very violent movement. Because the energy's going north, it's gone right into the mountain (which created the landslip) and given it a big jolt."
Lake Rebekah on November 22nd, 2016: eight days post-quake. Photo / Rebekah Kelly
Dr Pedley says the number of landslips in the area are due to the region's "soft" geology but that's also why parts of the dam currently blocking the Leader River will eventually start to be washed away.
But she points out that the forces which have recently caused such unrest are the same ones that created this land in the first place.
"If we didn't have faults and earthquakes, we would still be under water. The only reason New Zealand is here is because around about 22 million years ago the Alpine Fault started doing its thing and all of these are off-shoots of that, or related to all of that.
Lake Rebekah on December 1st, 2016: 17 days post-quake. Photo / Rebekah Kelly
As for the name of the newly-formed lake, Rebekah admits its temporary moniker might be a bit tongue-in-cheek and that a proper discussion about exactly what to call it will be on the cards if it sticks around and they apply to register it with the New Zealand Geographic Board.
"Lake Quake is the other one that the children seem to be really angling for."
She says consideration would have to be given to the many families who've had a long association with the land and the property's name — Woodchester — could also be used.
"There's also a Maori name for the Leader River which we had thought about using in some shape or form."
Treetops poking out of the water and evidence of landslips are the only signs Lake Rebekah is a new feature. Photo / David Kelly
Rebekah says her kids have taken a dip in the lake — "at the very, very top end, quite far away from the slip" — but admits it might take a while to get any new tourism venture off the ground.
"We had a few hot days last week and I did let them have a wee wallow but it's really deep, it's not like a gentle slope . . . so it was definitely with lifejackets on at that stage."
She says dinghys are being contemplated as Christmas presents, followed by ecotourism planning with mates as they sit around the BBQ this summer.
"It's definitely going to take us until February to even start replacing our fences and all the other chaos that's happened on the farm so we'll enjoy [the lake] this year and then if it's still around next summer we should be good to go."
As with so many great natural sights, it might be a case of seeing it while you still can.
