Driving to Grasmere
Turn left out the gate and go north on State Highway 65, then turn left over the river onto SH6, and travel down the Buller Gorge.
The fastest way is to turn left at Inangahua Junction onto SH 69 to Reefton and then right onto SH7, which will take you through to Greymouth.
If you want something a little more scenic (or just different) and have a little more time up your sleeve, carry on through Inangahua down the Buller Gorge. Again, you can turn left to go down the coast to Greymouth straightaway, or go through Westport to Cape Foulwind - you're actually heading for Tauranga Bay, where there's a seal colony and a good cafe for lunch. From there, there is a short cut back to SH6 south of Westport.
Do take time to stop at Punakaiki to walk around the Pancake Rocks, and there are a couple of little cafes and a craft shop here too.
At Greymouth you may like to stop at the Jade Boulder Gallery to see the work of one of the country's best greenstone artists. Sometimes the Left Bank Gallery further on Mawhera Quay has some good exhibitions by local artists too.
Continue south on SH6 to Kumara Junction, where you'll turn left onto SH73, towards the mountains.
Kumara, a little village seven kilometres along, has a very good craftsman called The Woodworker, who makes beautiful large wooden bowls from heart rimu. This is a good place to top up your petrol tank if it’s looking low, as there’s not much further on.
Further on, the old pub on the right at Jacksons used to be a Cobb and Co stagecoach stop, in the days of the West Coast goldrush.
After Otira you will be driving up the Otira Gorge, known for its dramatic scenery. Over the summit is Arthur’s Pass village, our nearest piece of civilisation. The National Park HQ at the Department of Conservation Field Centre here is worth a visit.
Continue on and you will pass the Bealey Hotel, made famous by the publican’s reported sighting of a moa bird in 1993. The previous last sighting was at the turn of the century.
Grasmere is 30km past the village, over the wide Waimakariri River and the Cass, on the edge of the Arthur’s Pass National Park. Don’t take the turn on the left to the village of Cass. Grasmere is two km further on, on the right of State Highway 73.
The directions sound complicated, but it’s much simpler with a map in front of you, and there are no confusing side roads.
State Highway 73 · Cass · Canterbury · Private Bag 55009 · Christchurch · New Zealand
Telephone +64 3 318 8407 · Fax +64 3 318 8263 · E-Mail Retreat@Grasmere.co.nz
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