Day one
Ōtautahi Christchurch to Cheviot
Number Eight Cafe
Head north from Christchurch and make Cheviot your first proper stop. Number Eight Cafe sits on Hall Street and is an easy place to reset with coffee or lunch before the more adventurous part of the day.
Energy Jet — Hurunui River
From Cheviot, head for the Hurunui River and swap the road for the water. Energy Jet is the only jet-boat operator on the river, with trips through braided channels, narrow canyons and North Canterbury farmland. Experiences run for around 30 minutes to one hour and can be shaped around river and weather conditions.
Tawanui Farm — A Frame Cabin
Finish the day back on dry land at Tawanui Farm, around 15 minutes from Cheviot. The A-frame cabin looks across rolling farmland toward the Inland Kaikōura Ranges, with a mezzanine bed, skylights and an outdoor bath. It is a deliberately slow finish after the river.
Cheviot
Approx. 1hr 30min from Christchurch
Energy Jet
30min–1hr · From $60
A-frame cabin
From $450
Day 2
Cheviot Hills + Gore Bay
Energy Jet trips depend on current river and weather conditions. Confirm the trip with the operator before setting out, and bring warm layers even on a clear day.
Day two
Cheviot Hills and the Gore Bay coast
Ready Money Trail
Start among the trees in Cheviot Hills Reserve. The 3-kilometre Ready Money Trail is a mixed-use route through mature woodland and past historic sites connected with the old Cheviot Hills estate. It is an easy way to begin the day before heading for the coast.
The Cathedrals
Drive out to Gore Bay for one of the region's defining landscapes. The Cathedrals are eroded siltstone pillars above the coast, reached on a walk of around one hour. The combination of surf, cliffs and open horizon feels completely different from the farmland only a few kilometres inland.
Jed Vale Cemetery Walk
From the Gore Bay playground, follow the beach north and the marked route beside the Jed River estuary to the historic cemetery. Allow around 45 minutes return and take care on uneven ground.
Point Gibson Lighthouse
If there is still time, make one final short coastal stop. From Manuka Bay Road, the walk across the paddock to Point Gibson Lighthouse takes about 10 minutes return and finishes the day with another wide coastal view before turning south.
Stay on marked routes, respect the graves at Jed Vale and follow any local access instructions around farmland and coastal tracks.
Return to Ōtautahi Christchurch
Head back through Cheviot and complete the drive south. In two days the route moves from braided river to farm country, woodland and the Pacific coast without ever needing to leave the Cheviot and Gore Bay region.
