CANTERBURY Canterbury 194 © LonelyPlanetPublications a thermal resort aftera thermalresort you’ve droppedthepackforlast time. tosoakinthehotspringsof canyonsandanopportunity spectacular forests, waterfalls, Pass,of thoseinArthur’s theydo includeeasyclimbstolowpasses,aswellremnant StJames and thefive-day Walkway. Whilethesetrampsdon’tachieve theloftyheights tion alongbothwalksisarefreshing fromDOChuts. departure climbing Mt Wilsonandspendingamorningon Pacific Oceanbeaches. The accommoda- of marinewildlife, including penguins. walkthatincludes CoastTrackisathree-day Kaikoura is afour-day walkalongadramaticcoastline,andoffers thepossibilityofspottingavariety has itsownchapter ( p216 ). foralpineadventurespopular amongtramperslooking andpass-hoppingclimbsthatit here intwochapters; Arthur’s Pass NationalPark inCanterbury, liesactually butisso full ofgrazingsheepare often framedbyNewZealand’s mountainous skyline. between are the ,anexpanseofdead-flatfarminglandwhere pastures Peninsula andclimaxes withthefamous,snow-covered peaksofthe Southern Alps. In city – . The region begins withthevolcanicallyuplifted hillsofthe Banks Canterbury isthehubofSouthIsland,andcontainsitslargest andmostinteresting

HIGHLIGHTS Also covered inthischapter are apairofsubalpine tramps: thetwo-day Mt SomersTrack This chapter covers twoofNewZealand’s bestprivate tracks. The Banks Peninsula Track There inCanterbury thattheregion issuchawealthoftrampingopportunities iscovered

Enjoyingacupoftea andthefine viewat Seeingthehistoric huts(ifnotspendingthenightinthem)along Recovering at fromahotday’strampingbeneathwaterfall Sighting penguins, yellow-eyed fur sealsand dolphinsalongthe Hector’s TELEPHONE CODE:03 Coast Track Somers Track Track ( p205) (p196) www.christchurchnz.net Skull Peak Shelter

Spa Pool ( p214 ) alongtheKaikoura

www.hurunui.com St JamesWalkway 24) ln Mt along (p204) Banks Peninsula

CANTERBURY

. ) 195 24hr) (1620m) Mt Fyffe Oaro is h Kaikoura 366 7148; 40 4 336 3197; cnr Countdown Countdown 365 4336; 637

S O U T H O C E A N

Kaikouras Seaward Parnassus P A C I F I C Gore Bay % Cheviot % ( ( %

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SH1 Village SH70 381 5199; 341 Stanmore 381 5199; 341 Stanmore Mt Lyford 1 374 5399; www.mapworld 8am-6pm Mon-Thu, to 8pm 8am-6pm Mon-Thu, % Banks ( Peninsula 9am-5.30pm Mon-Thu, to 8pm 9am-5.30pm Mon-Thu, NP % Snowgum ( River Kathmandu Waiau h 377 1000; 297 Moorhouse Ave) 00 50 km 30 miles , Pegasus Bay . h Akaroa SH75 % Bivouac Outdoor Bin Inn . ( and Lyttelton New Brighton 0508-786 633, 379 4620; www.stone CANTERBURY •• Climate Climate •• CANTERBURY

Woodend SH7 Kaiapoi Belfast Springs Hanmer 9am-6pm Mon-Thu, to 8pm Fri, 10am-5pm 9am-6pm Mon-Thu, 9am-5.30pm Mon-Thu, to 7pm Fri, to 5pm 9am-5.30pm Mon-Thu, % ( . 3 Hurunui h Map World h Hurunui Amberley Rangiora Pass Lake (907m)

Rolleston River Ellesmere Pak’nSave 348 3754; cnr Hansons Lake & Riccarton Rds; Cust Mt Longfellow (1898m) For maps of anywhere in the , anywhere For maps of Large supermarkets include supermarkets Large

CHRISTCHURCH Waiau % Sat, 10am-4pm Sun) Colombo & Lichfield Sts; Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun) Lichfield St; and is also a There outstanding accommo- is Christchurch’s than 90 rooms dation option, with more ranging from dorms to three-bedroom every amenity a weary apartments. There’s Rd, Richmond) Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun) SLEEPING & EATING Stonehurst .co.nz; 173 Gloucester St; .co.nz; ( SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT that sellThe city has several tramping stores including gear, Colombo St; Sat, 10am-4pm Sun) head to hurst.co.nz; 241 Gloucester St; dm/s/d $26/60/70; hurst.co.nz; Junction Springs Springs Maruia Lake Oxford Sumner Dunsandel Sheffield Rakaia Forest Park SH72 Darfield Chertsey Springfield SH7 Craigieburn (1832m) Mt Ajax Arthur's Pass National Park SH1 Lake Pearson Ashburton Cass Lyndhurst Glenntunnel (945m) Methven See Nelson Region Map (p147) Arthur's Pass (924m) Porters Pass er

Riv 8.30am-7pm) See Arthurs Pass Region Map (p217) Bealey SH77 Arthur's Pass Mayfield Staveley h

Moana Rakaia Lake Brunner (Moana Kotuku) Forest Park Mt Hutt Craigieburn Otira p198 p203 p209 p213 SH72 2 Lake a (2272m)

Mt Somers Rangitat Coleridge (2400m) Lake Heron Blackball Shantytown Mt Rolleston Kumara Mt Murchison Barrytown Rapahoe Paroa Runanga Lake Mt Arrowsmith (2795m) Ben McLeod (1952m) Kaniere Mt Whitcombe (2638m) Mesopotamia Gorge 371 3706; 133 Victoria St) For maps, bro- 379 9629; www.christchurchnz.net; Old 379 9629; www.christchurchnz.net; Old Hokitika Fox Peak (2331m) (2188m) Mt Bryce % % Hokitika Canterbury – Maps Canterbury – Kumara Junction ( Mt Tyndall (2524m) (

Pukekura Ross (p239) Map

S E A See West Coast West See 03 / pop 331,400 Mt D'Archiac (2865m) Mahinapua

T A S M A N 4 Kaikoura Coast Track 4 Kaikoura Coast 1 Banks Peninsula Track 1 Banks Peninsula 2 Mt Somers Track 3 St James Walkway Canterbury Southern Alps Southern chures and information on South Island parks and tracks. chures Book transport and purchase accommodation here, and DOC hut passes or obtain general DOC information. Chief Post Office Bldg, Cathedral Sq; DOC Christchurch Conservation Information Centre Christchurch and Canterbury information visitor centre INFORMATION INFORMATION Famous for its gardens and English heri- and English for its gardens Famous is a modern and thriv- Christchurch tage, ing city that has happily strayed somewhat its Puritan founders. from the vision of Christchurch % GATEWAY GATEWAY

This is one of the driest and flattest areas of of areas the driest and flattest This is one of . wester- The moisture-laden Seathe Southern hit lies from the Tasman Alps and dump their rainfall on the west Canterbury, which reaching coast before only 750mm com- has an annual rainfall of with 5000mm on the west coast. pared CLIMATE CLIMATE Canterbury www.lonelyplanet.com