Waihopai (region)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waihopai is an area in the Marlborough region of the South Island of New Zealand. The Waihopai River drains the area.
The lower Waihopai as it runs into the Wairau Valley has a number of vineyards, including the aptly named Spy Valley[1]. There is also a small hydroelectric power station in the valley.
Waihopai is also the Maori name for the city of Invercargill. A second Waihopai River is located near that city.
[edit] GCSB monitoring station
The Government Communications Security Bureau operates what it describes as a satellite communications monitoring facility in the Waihopai Valley, which it refers to simply as GCSB Waihopai. It has been identified by MP Keith Locke, and others, as part of ECHELON, the worldwide network of signals interception facilities run by the UKUSA consortium of intelligence agencies.
