Glentunnel – Industrial History and Golf

Glentunnel is particularly shaped by its industrial history and the buildings associated with it. Glentunnel Library, the Glentunnel Museum collection, and St Andrew’s of the Glen represent different aspects of the town’s history. Golf and the Coalgate to Glentunnel Shared Path add two different activities to these themes. If you’re looking for hotels in Glentunnel, these highlights can help you decide whether to focus your stay on architecture and history or also include golf and a route between two towns.

Industrial history in buildings and collections

The octagonal brick building of Glentunnel Library was designed in 1886 by prominent Christchurch architect Samuel Hurst Seager. The bricks and terracotta tiles used in its construction were made at the nearby Glentunnel Brick, Tile, Terra-Cotta and Pottery Works. The architecture therefore clearly reflects the nearby works and their production. Glentunnel Library and Gateposts are also historically and architecturally significant: they recall Glentunnel’s industrial past.

The Glentunnel Museum collection includes numerous objects relating to the region’s history. Its main focus is rural industrial history, pottery and brickmaking, and coal mining. The museum also has an extensive library documenting the lives of early settlers and the industries associated with them. Alongside the trades, the early settlement history is also in view.

Historic church in Glentunnel

St Andrew’s of the Glen is a historic landmark in Glentunnel. According to Broughton, it is the only one of the early Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian churches in the Glentunnel-Coalgate area to have remained on its original site, and it is still used as a church. St Andrew’s thus complements the Library as another aspect of the area’s built heritage, while continuing to serve a religious purpose.

Golf or the Shared Path

At Hororata Golf Club, visitors can enjoy a casual round of golf; the course measures 5,600 metres from the stone tees. The Coalgate to Glentunnel Shared Path offers a different activity. It is a flat, well-formed, off-road path, 2.6 kilometres long, connecting the two historic rural settlements of Coalgate and Glentunnel. Check local conditions before walking.

More highlights in Selwyn District

The wider destination of Selwyn District also includes distinct nature and cultural heritage highlights. The Rakaia Gorge Walking Track runs along the edge of the gorge through striking geological areas featuring rhyolite, pitchstone, and andesite lava flows. Kura Tāwhiti/Castle Hill consists of limestone formations in an area of special significance to Ngāi Tahu. Internationally, Kura Tāwhiti/Castle Hill is regarded as a world-class destination for climbing and bouldering. Cave Stream is also in Selwyn District: the cave in Cave Stream Scenic Reserve is 594 metres long. Two short tracks lead to the entrances, and the cave passage can be traversed between them. The cave conditions require care.

Discover more destinations: Lake Coleridge, Coalgate, Darfield, Doyleston, Kirwee, Windwhistle, Rolleston

View the wider travel guide: Selwyn District.