High Country Journeys Tours

The second day takes in Macdonald Downs Station and the North Canterbury back country and comes out through the remote Lees Valley and then on to your accommodation at home or farmstays in the Sheffield/Oxford area.

Day three takes in the Lake Coleridge country in the morning (as made famous by the book ‘A River Rules my Life’) and then in the afternoon will take you up into the Rakaia Gorge country with some stunning views of the braided river and then back to overnight in the Methven/Mt Somers area.

The fourth day will take you up the Ashburton Gorge and Lake Heron Station in the morning and after lunch at the Homestead you will then follow the Orari River through local stations to the Fairlie basin in the afternoon.

Day five is over the Hunter Hills into the lower Mackenzie Country then follows a track beside Lake Benmore to Otematata and then on down to overnight near Kurow.

Day six is over the Kakanui Range into the Maniototo via the Danseys Pass and a track over Mt Kyeburn. A visit to the Mt Buster Goldfields, Naseby, the Curling rink, St Bathans or Hayes Engineering are sometimes possible options for this day.

Day seven will take you through the southern Maniototo plain and the old Dunstan trail past the Poolburn dam country and then after travelling over tracks on the Dunstan Mountains you will arrive at your accommodation at the Cardrona Hotel. Sometimes a trip up onto the Pisa Range and the Snowfarm is also possible this day. The tour ends after breakfast the following morning.

Accommodation for this ‘Grandslam’ tour is a mix of comfortable farmstays, lodges, motels and historic hotels. Each couple will have their own room with some ensuited and some shared bathroom facilities. All bedding including towels are supplied. There is the usual surcharge for one person to a room. All meals will be included along with a packed lunch and the choice of a continental or cooked breakfast.