The hills extend inland from Waimate in a north-west trending line that gets higher and accumulates in Mount Nessing with a height of 1,601 m (5,253 ft).

[5] The uplift is related to the predominantly reverse Hunters Hills fault, which defines the south eastern border of the Cannington Basin.

[6] The two strand fault zone is not particularly active and has been mapped for 62 km (39 mi), with a slip rate of less than 1 mm (0.039 in)/year, an average displacement at events between 3–6 m (9.8–19.7 ft) that occur more than 10,000 years apart.

[7] Often the upper part of hills is obscured by cloud in the late afternoon due to easterly winds from the sea carrying moisture inland.

[3]: 1  The original tussock grassland at the time of European settlement was dominated by a dense growth of flax, fern, scrub and coarse grasses.