good for you

Nestled in a mountain beech forest and surrounded by New Zealand's majestic Southern Alps, this lodge offers comfort and warm hospitality in a magnificent natural setting. There's plenty on offer for the active traveller and an equal number of opportunities to just kick back and relax.

Step from your room into a natural forested paradise of moss-lined streams, tussock clearings and lakes amid 20-miles of nature trails. You can explore the surrounds independently, or take advantage of the lodge's ever-changing adventure program led by skilled guides that includes hiking, lake canoeing safaris, mountain wildlife trips and trout fishing.

With the resident lodge biologist and farmer, you can explore the surrounding wilderness and experience life on this historic 6,000 acre property surrounded by Arthur's Pass National Park. Every second day, you can join the sheepdogs in rounding up the flock, and also help to blade shear the famous super fine merino wool before it's shipped off to the Italian fashion houses.

The lodge's design is a modern twist on traditional New Zealand rural architecture, based on stone, wood and corrugated iron, with plenty of verandas and big glass windows to take in the views. Common areas include a library and a spacious lounge area complete with roaring log fire. The Mount Rolleston Restaurant offers panoramic views across the Alps alongside superb food and an extensive wine list.

good for new zealand

Husband and wife owners, teacher Anne Saunders and biologist Dr. Gerry McSweeney, built this lodge and the Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki, to demonstrate the importance of conservation to New Zealand's tourism industry. Combining nature conservation, sustainable merino wool-farming and responsible tourism, Arthur's Pass and its sister Wilderness Lodge are paving the way for sustainable practices in New Zealand.

The relatively small size of this lodge ensures a more environmentally-friendly property from the start. It requires less energy and less water and produces less waste. All the lodge structures are built in natural forest clearings, felling no trees, and all buildings have been designed in harmony with the landscape. Buildings face north to achieve maximum passive solar heating and feature materials traditionally characteristic of construction in the area: stone, concrete, wood and corrugated iron. Waste is recycled where possible and local produce is used in the kitchen. The owners are genuine environmentalists who actively participate in the conservation of the area and in the local community, and they work in consultation with the local Maori tribe at the Kura Tawhiti Reserve.

Rooms

Food

Dinner and breakfast are included in the rates.

With spectacular views that stretch for 60 kilometres from the Binser Range across the Waimakariri River to Mt Rolleston, it's a wonder anyone ever leaves the lodge's Mount Rolleston restaurant. Especially when you consider the menu. Using locally sourced, and where possible, organic products, the food is fresh and very tasty. Breakfasts are continental or home-cooked and the set dinner menu includes three courses.

For dinner, expect something along the lines of a warm duck breast and red pepper salad followed by a leg of venison in garlic and rosemary or baked New Zealand grouper rounded up with an indulgent desert or cheese platter. Vegetarians and others with special dietary needs can be catered for with advance notice.

Lunch is also available, either to take on your excursions in a packed picnic basket (NZ$22), or in the restaurant (NZ$22-$39)

Features & Facilities

• Restaurant and bar with magnificent alpine views (breakfast and dinner included in the rates)
• The David McLeod Library, named after the man who owned the sheep station between 1930 and 1978, holds a collection of books on the local landscape, flora and fauna.
• Working sheep farm – guests can take part in farm work, including shearing.
• Trained naturalists and guides lead daily activities.
• The lodge provides guests with excellent maps and interpretive material to take on self-guided walks.
• Many activities (and the loan of requisite equipment like canoes and life jackets) are included in the rates.
• Shared Internet in the common area only
• Laundry service

Local Info & Activities

Wilderness Lodge Arthur's Pass is a paradise for nature lovers. The lodge will give you maps and information on its walk network, forest and tussock nature trails. Walk from your room into the wilderness or explore further afield in Arthur's Pass National Park, Craigieburn Forest Park and Torlesse Conservation Park.

local walks

The lodge's walks network covers 30km (20 miles) and provides a fascinating introduction to the mountains.

Rainbow Valley Nature Walk is an easy 1-hour self-guided trail through beech forest and tussock clearings with great views.

Broad Stream Walk - a 2-hour moderate fitness walk into a lovely beech forested valley with cascades, pools and lovely picnic areas.

McKay Moa Forest and Wild Boar Hill - an easy 2-hour walk explores wild forest and shrub land rich in rare plants, with sweeping views of the valley.

Waimakariri Valley Walk - a 3 hour walk in the open Waimakariri Valley beneath ancient thorn forest alongside wetlands teaming with birdlife.

Mt. Bruce and Harper Saddle are longer (4-hour) harder mountain trips ideal for the keen hiker.

guided nature trips

The resident naturalists offer two activities daily. Each last around an hour and is included in the Lodge tariff. Learn about the beech forests or strange thorn forests or try to spot New Zealand's smallest bird, the Rifleman. There's also the chance to study the Southern Cross and night sky and to learn about the history of the surrounding mountains. You'll meet some of New Zealand's famed merino sheep, and can even help shear one if you like, as well as see the sheep dogs working with the farm managers.

longer optional guided adventure trips

Guided trips introduce you to the wild heart of the Southern Alps. There is a small charge for these trips from NZ$88 to NZ$170 per person which covers your guide, refreshments, the Conservation Department guiding licence fee and equipment. A minimum of 2 people is required for these to depart and they can be booked on arrival.

Southern Alps Alpine Tarn Historic Walk - Traverse moss forests, giant red tussocks, alpine wetlands and lakes on your way to a historic high musterer's hut dating back to the farm's early days. This trip requires moderate fitness.

Upper Otira Alpine Flowers and Glacier Discovery – The lodge's most popular fine weather trip climbs high into the glacier basin beneath Mt. Rolleston. Superb alpine flowers, cascades, a mountain picnic, kea parrots and an ice cave are the highlights. Good fitness required.

Tussocklands Traverse - Drive east from the Lodge and climb to a mountain ridge covered in alpine flowers. Traverse the ridge with grand mountain views. Lunch in a forest clearing then descend to Lake Lyndon. The trip home is by canoe. Moderate fitness trip.

Challenging Canoeing in the High Country - Experience the vast braided rivers and high country lakes around the Lodge with the lodge's guides in safe, stable Minnow canoes. This is a wet adventure with wetsuits, training and attentive guides.

Limestone Caves, Rare Plants, Desert Landscapes - A guided tour/walk into Canterbury's driest landscapes, home to the region's rarest alpine plants. This includes an exciting canoe trip and is suitable for all ages.

West Coast Rainforest and Lake Canoeing - Experience the luxuriant West Coast rainforest. Canoe across a lovely lowland lake with floating forest to forested islands, then lunch on a white stone beach. Visit historic buildings that date from the stagecoach era. An easy trip.

Trout Fishing, Skiing and Mountaineering - Trout fishing guides offer excellent high country fishing from November to April by prior arrangement. There are 5 ski fields close to the Lodge with skiing from June to October. All year round there is tramping and mountaineering close to the Lodge.

insider tips

Winter (June to August) sees snow on the mountains and surrounding ski fields, but settled clear weather.

Spring (September to November) brings warmer weather, spring flowers, lambing, shearing and a great time to see breeding season among the river, wetland and mountain birds.

The long warm days of summer and autumn (December to May) are great for walking, alpine flowers, canoeing, fishing and nature discovery. The lodge's guided activities operate year round.

Sustainability

Wilderness Lodge Arthur's Pass was developed in 1995 on a historic sheep farming property (Cora Lynn Station) that was first established in 1862.

The lodge is built on the premise that nature protection through tourism provides a sustainable future for remote rural communities.

Being a small country, New Zealand is very dependent on the export of farm and forestry produce. Nature protection in New Zealand has therefore traditionally been seen as being in conflict with economic development. The lodge's owners want to demonstrate that nature tourism and community development can occur together, while at the same time fostering nature and wildlife protection.

The lodge and its owners are actively involved in protecting New Zealand's natural and cultural heritage. The owners are members of the NZ Nature Network and the Forest and Bird Society.

The Royal Forest and Bird Society is NZ's largest and most active environmental group with 40,000 members nationwide and a 10,000 strong children's Kiwi Conservation Club. Lodge owner Dr Gerry McSweeney is currently the National President of Forest and Bird.

the lodge

Built to fit in with its surroundings the lodge strives to have minimal impact on the environment and independent ecological surveys were carried out prior to commencing any farm, reserve or tourism development in order to identify the most important areas to safeguard. New Zealand's most experienced wilderness architect, Gary Hopkinson of Greymouth NZ, (www.teamarchitecture.co.nz ) designed the new buildings.

Much use has been made of locally sourced materials. Local stone, plaster and plantation-grown framing wood is used in the buildings for examples. Tables at the lodge are made from slow growing native timbers (Rimu Dacrydium cupressinum) that were salvaged from the bottom of neighbouring Lake Brunner. And the external beams, constructed from native silver pine, once stood as power and telephone poles. The lodge salvaged them from the local telephone company

that was selling them for firewood!

The newest building - the Alpine Lodge completed in early 2005 - was awarded the Supreme Award (Commercial) in the New Zealand Master Builders Association House of the Year Competition in October 2005.

energy

The lodge buildings are designed for maximum energy conservation. All rooms are positioned to ensure they get the maximum amount of sun possible in the winter. Dark painted concrete has been used to absorb daytime heat that is then slowly released at night and all windows are double-glazed for insulation. Wood fires (using only plantation pine or wood from dead trees) are used to boost passive thermal heat within the Lodge. Energy efficient lighting is used throughout and key tabs turn off all room electric circuits when guests depart from their rooms. The lodge uses national grid electricity and a 100kw-diesel generator boosts this during the frequent power cuts experienced in the mountains.

water

Water for the lodge is taken from nearby spring streams - New Zealand's natural mountain water systems are of very high quality with no human inhabitants in the catchment of the lodge's water sources.

waste

The lodge is located near deep beds of alluvial gravel with free draining characteristics and a deep water table. A 3-stage septic tank system at each Lodge flows into an extensive gravel bed infiltration system.

Organic food waste is reused by feeding all suitable waste to pigs. Aluminium and plastic are recycled and glass is eco-banked. Cardboard is recycled and re-used where possible.

wildlife

New Zealand has no native mammals at all except for two small bats. Almost all the mammals that have been introduced to the country in the last 700 years have been disastrous for native birds – half of the country's native land bird species are now extinct for example and the other half are threatened or endangered. The lodge's owners focus on enhancing the wildlife through controlling the introduced predators and by educating locals and visitors about the importance of this conservation work.

community

The lodge owners are committed conservationists involved with numerous conservation projects in New Zealand.

Staff at the lodge are largely from the local community and it's estimated that approximately 25% of the lodge's annual profits are donated to the protection of nature in New Zealand.

Getting There

Wilderness Lodge Arthur's Pass is on Highway 73, the scenic mountain highway linking Christchurch and the West Coast. Christchurch is 130km east and Greymouth is 130km west. The Lodge is 16km east of Arthur's Pass township and 90 minutes (130km) from either the city of Christchurch or the West Coast town of Greymouth. Christchurch International airport is only 125km from the Lodge.

The lodge highly recommends the Highway 73 drive along New Zealand's most spectacular mountain road. It is sealed, well maintained and $50 million spent over the last 3 years means even the Arthur's Pass - Otira Gorge section is now easy driving.

The Tranz Alpine train between Christchurch and Greymouth passes twice each day and the Lodge can arrange transfers from the station. There is also a daily bus service (Coast to Coast shuttle) linking the Lodge with Christchurch, Hokitika and Greymouth.

Wilderness Lodge Arthur's Pass is a 370km (230 mile) comfortable 6 hour drive from Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki in South Westland. You should plan to leave the Lodge by 9am to give yourself an hour or two at the Glaciers en route. If you have time, stay at least a couple of nights at each Wilderness Lodge to experience the full range of what the South Island has to offer.

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

Prices are per person based on 2 people sharing. Single occupancy is for 1 person.

high season (1 oct - 30 apr)

P/P sharing Single

Mountain View Room NZ$360 (US$275) NZ$475 (US$363)

Alpine Lodge NZ$490 (US$374) NZ$690 (US$528)

low season (1 may – 30 sep)

p/p sharing Single

Mountain View Rooms NZ$290 (US$221) NZ$380 (US$291)

Alpine Lodge NZ$390 (US$298) NZ$590 (US$451)

• Dinner and Breakfast
• Government taxes of 12.5%
• Guided nature walks and farm activities.

• A NZ$59 (US$45) surcharge per person added on Christmas Day, Boxing Day (December 26), New Years Day and January 2.
• Train Transfers: Transfers form the Tranz Alpine Train at Arthur's Pass (16km from the Lodge) must be pre-booked and are available for NZ$25 per person (NZ Passenger Service Licence No 222871).
• A day charge is applicable for one night stay guests who wish to depart on the late afternoon Tranz Alpine Train.
• Child Rates (2-12 years). Half adult rate when sharing a room with two adults.

other info

• A minimum 2 night stay is required December 20 to January 10 and February 1 to March 1.
• check in time is 2pm and check out time is 10.30am

*please note the US$ rate will vary slightly, prices are for exchange rate in June ‘07

booking & cancellation policies

• A deposit of 40% of total booking is required in order to secure a booking.
• A cancellation made in advance of 30 days of arrival date will incur a cancellation fee of 10% of the total booking.
• A cancellation made between 30 and and 8 days of arrival date will incur a cancellation fee of 40% - the total deposit.
• A cancellation made between 7 days and date of arrival will incur a cancellation fee of the total cost of the booking.

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.