Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CENTRAL CANTERBURY
While the dead-flat agricultural heartland of the Canterbury Plains blankets the majority of
the region, there's plenty of interest for travellers in the west, where the Southern Alps soar
to snowy peaks. Here you'll find Canterbury's best ski fields and some brilliant wilderness
walks.
Unusually for NZ, the most scenic routes avoid the coast, and most items of interest can
be accessed from one of two spectacular roads: the Great Alpine Highway (SH73), which
barrels from Christchurch across the plains and into the mountains, and the Inland Scenic
Route (SH72), which skirts the dividing line between the two.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Selwyn District
Named after NZ's first Anglican bishop, this largely rural district has swallowed an English
map book and regurgitated place names such as Lincoln, Darfield and Sheffield to punctu-
ate this green and pleasant land. Yet any illusions of Albion are quickly dispelled by the
looming presence of the snow-capped Southern Alps, providing a rugged retort to 'Eng-
land's mountains green'.
Selwyn's numerous ski fields may not be the country's most glamorous but they provide
plenty of thrills for rampant ski bunnies. Porters (
Click here
) is the main commercial field,
but club fields include Mt Olympus (
Click here
)
, Mt Cheeseman (
Click here
)
, Broken
River (
Click here
), Craigieburn Valley (
Click here
)
and Temple Basin (
Click here
)
.
The highly scenic Great Alpine Highway pierces the heart of the district on its journey
between Christchurch and the West Coast. Before it leaves the Canterbury Plains, it passes
through the little settlement of
Springfield
(population 219), which is distinguished by two
notable monuments. One honours Rewi Alley (1897-1987), a local lad who became a great
hero of the Chinese Communist Party, and surely the only party member to be offered a
knighthood (he declined, naturally, but accepted companionship of the Queen's Service
Order); for more about his fascinating life, stop to read the information panels.
The other monument is a giant pink-iced doughnut, originally erected to promote
The
Simpsons Movie
but now a permanent feature - one can only imagine what Alley would
make of it.
