Castle Hill

Leaving Christchurch, we head west towards the mountains across the flat farmland of the Canterbury Plains. After 45 minutes, we make a stop in the small farming town of Darfield. We will provide lunch and afternoon tea, but you might like to sample some Kiwi cuisine or pick up a coffee from the local bakery. Continuing our journey across the plains, we pass through another small town named Springfield with its giant doughnut. Your guide will explain how the giant doughnut ended up here while snapping a photograph. From Springfield, it’s a 45-minute drive along “the Great Alpine Highway” to Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti conservation area. The road takes us over Porters Pass (900 mts), past Lake Lyndon and through some High Country stations before reaching our destination. Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti is a maze of massive limestone boulders that sit in the heart of the Southern Alps. Once the area once covered with an inland ocean now sits at 600mts above sea level. The boulders have a special cultural significance to the local Maori people. The area is protected by Tōpuni status, “A symbolic cloak of protection” to preserve and acknowledge the area. It’s a popular spot for rock climbing, bouldering, and filmmaking. Your guide will show you around the endless boulder fields and explain how they got there, and point out the best photo spots and secret passages. Picnic lunch will be laid out by your guide in amongst the boulders. After lunch, you have some free time to explore, relax or snap some pictures. Meeting back in the car park at 2:30 we head back towards Christchurch along “The Great Alpine Highway”. The tour finishes back in Christchurch between 4:30-5:00 pm.