During the early to mid Miocene period, 14 to 19 million years ago, a vast lake covered much of what is now Central Otago.
Along the shores of Lake Manuherikia, whose remnants are found near present-day St Bathans, lived crocodilians, turtles, and bowerbirds, as well as early relatives of bats, moa and kiwi, and a rich diversity of waterfowl such as ducks and swans.
