Ashburton District: Nature, Culture and Thermal Experiences

In Ashburton District, landscapes and walking trails sit alongside thermal experiences, parks and places that tell the region’s history. Ashburton Domain offers landscaped gardens and open spaces; in Methven, Ōpuke combines thermal experiences with a range of water and wellness offerings. For those interested in trails, there are routes with varied character: from farmland and bush on the Methven Walkway to river access at Rakaia Gorge.

Experience Landscapes and Nature

Hakatere Conservation Park covers almost 60,000 hectares of rugged high country, tussock grassland, beech forest, rivers and lakes. The Ashburton Lakes offer opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing, birdwatching, camping and picnicking. This means you can choose between activities on the water, nature observation and spending time outdoors.

Wakanui Beach lies on the east coast of Ashburton District. The coastal landscape has significant biodiversity and walking trails. This offers a specific reason to go for a walk in a natural environment where biodiversity is one of its defining features. For walking in a different landscape, Rakaia Gorge has several tracks and trails, as well as river access.

Trails with Different Highlights

The Methven Walkway passes through scenic farmland, along rivers and through bush. Another option is the Ashburton / Hakatere River Trail: this easy walking and cycling route follows the Ashburton River from Melrose Road to the sea at Hakatere. Its route and uses differ markedly from the description of the Methven Walkway, making it possible to compare the trails by landscape and mode of travel.

At Awa Awa Rata Reserve, two walking tracks lead to Scott’s Saddle or to the ridgeline. The reserve is also a picnic area and a destination for day trips. This combination of tracks and designated recreational uses makes it a distinct option for spending time outdoors. Rakaia Gorge has several tracks and trails, while Wakanui Beach offers walking trails in a coastal landscape.

Culture, History and Gardens

The area of Awa Awa Rata Reserve is known as Mahitahi and was a kāinga mahika kai, a place where food was gathered. Alongside the reserve’s use as a picnic area and day-trip destination, this cultural significance is part of what makes it distinctive.

Other insights into history and technology can be found at a range of places, each with its own focus. Plains Historical and Vintage Railway has historic locomotives and steam engines. Pioneer Village includes a railway station, a church, a cottage and recreated shops, including a blacksmith’s workshop with a working forge. Tinwald Domain has heritage attractions such as historic trains, museums, model railways and collections of historic machinery. Educational offerings at Ashburton Museum focus on the cultural and social history of Mid Canterbury and Aotearoa.

Ashburton Domain has a different focus: its 37 hectares include lawns, gardens and recreational facilities. Garden features include a rose garden, mature exotic trees and seasonal flower beds. Recreational facilities include a paddling pool, a small playground for preschoolers, a track for children learning to ride bikes, and areas for older children with skateboards or roller skates. Landscaped gardens and facilities for different age groups are therefore found within the same open space.

Thermal Experiences and Mountain Activities

Ōpuke Thermal Pools & Spa is a thermal bathing and wellness destination in Methven. Its Discovery offering includes family-friendly thermal pools with a lazy river and water-play features. The adults-only Tranquility offering has a different focus, with a swim-up bar and a restaurant serving regional flavours. The two offerings therefore differ both in their focus and in the facilities described.

Mt Hutt also brings together different offerings. Mt Hutt Snowsports School provides beginner lessons, children’s programmes, private coaching and multi-day programmes. The Summit Six chairlift goes up to 2,086 metres above the Canterbury Plains; from there, views stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the Southern Alps. Lessons and scenery are two distinct reasons to include Mt Hutt in your travel plans.

The Wider Region: Canterbury

Canterbury is the wider travel region, stretching from the Pacific coast in the east to the Southern Alps in the west. The Canterbury Plains are also among the region’s landscape highlights. Canterbury offers opportunities for outdoor adventures on its rivers and in its mountains. Kura Tāwhiti/Castle Hill can also be placed in this regional context: its landscape of towering limestone blocks is culturally and ecologically significant and of particular importance to Ngāi Tahu and Ngāi Tūāhuriri.

Discover more destinations: Methven, Mayfield, Hinds, Mount Hutt, Ashburton, Hurunui District, Selwyn District, Waimakariri District.

For the wider travel overview: Canterbury.