Danny de Hek

Rangiora, 27km north of Christchurch, in the heart of Waimakariri District, is a bustling town, well known for its country atmosphere and shopping. The town is the nucleus of a very prosperous agricultural, horticultural, fruit-growing, forestry and mixed farming area.

Woodend is a service town, surrounded by lush farmland and a great variety of lifestyle blocks. Named after an early settler, Thomas Woodend, the town is just 26km north of Christchurch and offers accommodation and meals to passing travellers on S.H.1.

Oxford, a rural town on the Inland Scenic Route 72, is the perfect place to appreciate the mountain scenery and seasonal beauty of the North Canterbury Plains. Named after the university city of Oxford, this farming town of 1,600 people, was a saw-milling centre until 1898.

Ohoka is only 15 minutes drive from Christchurch - one of the closest rural areas to the city. It sits on the extensive fertile plains between the Ashley and Waimakariri rivers, which are fast developing as specialist farms and lifestyle blocks.

Loburn is a peaceful rural area nestled under the foothills, on the Rangiora to Oxford road via Glentui. It lies near the junction of the Ashley and Okuku rivers in ‘Lifestyle block country.’

Cust is an attractive township on the Inland Scenic Route 72, half-way between Oxford and Rangiora. Route 72 is a popular travelling road between Geraldine and Amberley, which provides wonderful views of the Southern Alps and pastoral Canterbury.

Ashley is a quiet village on the banks of the Ashley River, just minutes away from its busy neighbour, Rangiora. The picturesque Ashley River looks very inviting on a bright summer’s day and locals make the most of the swimming holes and picnic spots along the willow-lined banks.

Kaiapoi, North Canterbury’s top river town, is located on S.H.1 just over the broad, shingle-strewn Waimakariri River from Christchurch. This principal town of the Waimakariri District occupies a strategic position, flanked by the river and fertile farm flats to the west and the great expanse of Pegasus Bay to the east.

Leaving Christchurch, head north across the pancake-flat, patchwork quilt of the Canterbury Plains, for a breath of fresh country air. As you pass over the long Waimakariri River bridge, you are entering ‘Lifestyle Country.’

The wide open Waimakariri beaches fronting Pegasus Bay, might just be North Canterbury’s best kept secret. Canterbury’s continental climate has great extremes, from the sizzling 30 plus Centigrade temperatures of summer to the cold southerlies in winter.