Visit the historic Molesworth Station in the Canterbury high country. Take this rare opportunity to visit the high country of this ruggedly beautiful region, where mountains dominate the skyline.
This tour offers you abundant opportunity to experience the natural environments, and to learn about the unique history of a place that few people get to see. Discover the magnificent scenery, unique plant life and the fascinating stories. Molesworth Station is the size of Stewart Island at 486,000 acres in size, it is part of the Canterbury and Marlborough high country.
This tour will let you discover Molesworth Station and the majestic South Island high country scenery with a wonderful historical commentary of the early pioneers, and photographic opportunities around every corner.
The two-day Molesworth Tour Travel and explore the amazing scenery of the Canterbury back country on a small group tour. Molesworth Experience Tour will let you discover Molesworth and St James Stations. You will be able to enjoy two days to relax in the fabulous unspoilt high-country regions, with towering mountains enjoy spending time at Lake Tennyson a beautiful alpine lake with a magnificent range of alpine plant species growing in pristine condition.
Hanmer Springs
At 9.00 am
By 4.30 pm
Tours operate from 1st October till 31st May by request for a minimum of two people.
Departing Hanmer Springs at 9.00am.
Today we will explore the Western side of Molesworth Station. St James historic woolshed and old homestead area before stopping at Lake Tennyson for a cuppa. Enjoy the array of natural alpine plants growing in this picturesque setting. We will stop at Fowlers Hut, see the rabbit proof fence of old, drive over Island Saddle to the boundary of Rainbow Station with views of the Rainbow Valley. We will have a picnic lunch before returning to Hanmer by 4.30pm.
Meals Today: Morning tea & picnic lunch.
Your own accommodation arrangements tonight.
Today we will explore the Eastern side of Molesworth Station with a visit to the historic Acheron Accommodation House with time to look around and have a cup of tea, see how the pioneers lived in this wonderfully preserved large cobb building.
We will follow the cattle drovers’ route through Isolated Flat along the banks of the Acheron River. Along the way you will be entertained with tales of old of some of the characters that made this area their home.
We will drive up and over Wards Pass to be able to view the station operations hub today before enjoying a picnic lunch beside the original Molesworth cobb cottage, time for photo opportunities or a bit of walking before returning to Hanmer Springs by 3.30-4pm.
Meals Today: Morning tea will be served from on-board supplies of locally roasted plunger coffee or tea and home baking from the cake tins. Lunch will be picnic-style at one of the amazing scenic backdrops along the journey.
I really enjoyed day two of the tour, the beautiful lake, amazing alpine plants. Being out amongst the landscape just blew me away. the valleys, the scree mountains, and hearing about all the history and characters just topped it off.
This trip was on my bucket list for a long time, 20years at least. The tour really lived up to my expectations and on reflection, even more. I’m so pleased I actually did it. It was great and something to remember and think about.
Thank you so much for going ahead with the trip through Molesworth Station with only two of us which was particularly generous of you but I have to say it was an amazing trip and I might have to acknowledge that Geoff’s knowledge of where the various farm boundaries were and are, the people who owned the farms and worked there, what mountain points we were looking at and history etc gave such a great depth of background, as did the notes, as that sort of information always gives another dimension to visiting a new place. (I don’t want to praise him too much!!) I even enjoyed opening all the gates as that took me back to childhood when, if you were lucky enough to be sitting in the front passenger seat it was always your job to open the gates and not make any fuss about it. We were also particularly lucky with the weather which was also incredibly good, as were the places we stayed at.