Water Sports

Canoeing

We have a wooden Canadian-style canoe and more open kayaks which can be used on Lake Grasmere and Lake Pearson. Both are wildlife refuges, with a ban on motorised boats, so this is an ideal way to observe the endangered crested grebe (Podiceps australis), as well as the more common teal, black swan, scaup, paradise shelduck and Canada goose.

These two lakes are amongst the few lakes nationwide where the grebe nests and the birds can often be seen in summer with their floating nests, or their young.

Flotation vests are provided with the canoes, and picnics are recommended. Gently cruising over the lakes, admiring the full-circle mountain views, will leave you with a taste of untouched wilderness only found in New Zealand’s high country.

Jet Boating & Rafting

The nearby Waimakariri offers an easy-going option for your Kiwi river experience. A pleasant drift-raft trip with a DoC-licensed operator through the river’s gorge unveils gravity-defying hanging gardens, before meeting up with the jet boat for a speedier trip home.