//
Photo: Bevanw58, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A public works project that diverts water from the Rangitata River into Rakaia River while irrigating farms along the way. It goes by the north of Methven and under Waimarama Road and Mount Hutt Station Road. There are also a few walks that lead to the RDR from the town.
The Rangitata Diversion Race or RDR is a combined irrigation and power generation scheme that diverts water from the Rangitata River to irrigate over 75,000 ha of farmland in mid-Canterbury, in the South Island of New Zealand. The RDR project was the first major river diversion in New Zealand, and the largest irrigation scheme in the country. It was originally constructed by the Public Works Department between 1937 and 1944. The main canal is 67 km (42 mi) long, 10 m (33 ft) wide and 3 m (9.8 ft) deep.
© OpenStreetMap contributors