A Wee Gem Called Geraldine

Stay and Play in Geraldine

We were keen to stay a while in Geraldine and had read some great reviews of the NZMCA CAP (Charges Apply Property) called Peski’s (#7879).

Located just a few kilometres from the township, we can understand why it’s so popular.  There’s loads of flat level areas and easy access for larger rigs.

There are options for powered sites and a dump station if required.

We were the only ones there and had the pick of the spots.  Once we were all sorted we took time to wander the grounds and walked the loop track down towards the river.

Dave and Sue are the perfect hosts and we enjoyed our time spent with them on their lovely property.

The weather was a bit dodgy so decided on wandering around the town.  Let’s see what Geraldine has to offer.

About Geraldine

The township of Geraldine is located around 140km south of Christchurch.  It is nestled in the foothills of the Southern Alps and the gateway to the lakes in the central Mackenzie Basin.

It has a history of milling timber and numerous sheep stations dotted around the area.  When the timber started running out, farming took over as the major source of income.

And so it is today but it is also well known for its population of artists and craftspeople.  This is reflected when you wander the main street as you can spend some time browsing the studios and galleries looking for items of interest.  

Barkers of Geraldine

Although you will find the nice large and new retail shop for Barkers of Geraldine in the heart of the township’s main street, the original family farm is still located 8 km from the town’s centre.  The large building houses all their retail products, as well as a very busy cafe.  It is situated behind a very grand vicarage (1900) that they have lovingly restored.  

Since 1969, the iconic brand is a thriving business, making world-class jams, chutneys, syrups and condiments.  Although Barker’s Blackcurrant Fruit Syrup is the number one seller today, it was originally wine that the Barker family started with years ago.

Although they still operate in a relatively rural location, they still employ 230+ staff while operating a busy head office, factory and retail outlet.

There was just so many options to chose from whilst grazing the multiple shelves of products.  I eventually settled on a Spicey Eggplant Chutney, Miso & Ginger Dressing and a Balsamic & Mint Sauce.

Talbot Forest Cheese Shop

Well, after purchasing some lovely condiments, it would have been rude not to wander down the road to visit the Talbot Forest Cheese Shop.

Established in the early 2000s, they started making 10 tonnes of cheese a year.  Word soon spread and so did the demand so expansion was necessary.

Walking into the small retail shop, was like a kid entering a lolly shop!

Many of our cheese varieties are named in honour of local geography.  

We spent some time doing the ‘taste test’ with various samples and decided on the Mt Peel Blue cheese (so creamy!), and a garlic and chive gouda. 

Okay, I confess, we nearly devoured the blue in one sitting so had to return the following day for another Mt Peel Blue and picked up a Butter Kase.  We are now sorted for a few Happy Hours.

Valley Brewing Company

We had worked up a thirst buying all that cheese so we headed out of town, past our base camp by another few km’s to the Valley Brewing Company to visit the Brewery Café.

Located on the Geraldine-Fairlie Highway (SH79) approximately 7 minutes drive from Geraldine township The Brewery Café is situated just off the main road surrounded by the beautiful Gapes Valley farmland.  There is a menu available along with the opportunity to sample their award-winning hand-crafted beers (which are all brewed on-site). 

We ordered a couple of tasting paddles consisting of 6 tastings, which included their non-alcoholic Jinja (ginger) Beer, for $10 per paddle.  I’m not really an avid beer drinker but it was interesting taking a few sips of each while reading the tasting notes that were provided.

NB: There is also a large free camping area alongside (NZMCA#7878).  Just make sure you partake in some beverage or food in exchange for parking up for the night.  You also need to be fully self-contained.

Cruising the Area

We woke to much better day weather-wise so we thought we’d spread our wings and take off for a bit of an explore of the local area.

Peel Forest

Just a 20-minute drive from Geraldine, you will find Peel Forest.  It has been a popular spot for people wanting to get away from it all for nearly 100 years.

It was a busy timber milling settlement but the remaining forest became protected in the 1920s.

Acland Falls

There are various tracks to choose from, but we opted for the Acland Falls (there are two other waterfalls to choose from, all around the 1-hour return).  

The Acland Falls Walk is around 1km which sounds easy right?  Well, there is a bit of work involved to get there.  Having had not much cardio work during our 3 months of ‘Driveway Dwelling’ (see the previous blog) I have to say that it was a tad of a mission to climb multiple stairs.  In fact, quite a few stairs!  After puffing up a lung, we started the descent down to the waterfall.

It would be fair to say that we have seen a lot more spectacular waterfalls but all the same, just to get the lungs working again, surrounded in moss-laden trees and listening to the tui’s, it didn’t really matter that the waterfall was a bit underwhelming.

It took us around 35 minutes return, with rest stops (thanks to those dam stairs) and photo stops.

Big Tree Track

The next trail we tackled was the Big Tree Track.  As the name suggests, it takes you to a very ‘big tree’.  Unlike the towering totara Tane Mahuta in the north, this giant is a totara tree.  Reported to be over 1,000 years old, it is so heartening to think that these beauties were saved from the timber gangs that plied their trade in this area back in the day.

It is a relatively easy track with fewer steps to negotiate and took us around 30 minutes return.

Rangitata Valley

Carrying on past Peel Forest, we headed towards the stunning Rangitata Valley.  Right at the end of the road, you will eventually find the historic high country sheep station of Mesopotamia.  This was a further 42km drive so we didn’t head quite that far into the gorge but drove through some stunning scenery until we could get the best views across and up through the valley and the river.  

This river is reported to have some of the best salmon fishing in the world and attracts fishermen from around the globe.

The Rangitata valley is immortalised on film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  The backdrop providing a stunning landscape for the Kingdom of Edoras. I think we are the only people not to have watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will definitely have to make the effort one day.

We enjoyed a ‘tailgate lunch stop’ overlooking the aqua blue Rangitata river before heading back into Geraldine.

Church of the Holy Innocents

Making our way back to Geraldine, we spotted a sign ‘Historic Anglican Church’.  Always suckers for an old church and cemetery we diverted off onto a side road to hunt it out.

The Church of the Holy Innocents is located near Peel forest and is tucked away in what could only be described as a peaceful and solitude spot, nestled amongst trees and below towering hills.

It is named in memory of 3 infant children who died between 1864 and 1869 and buried in the churchyard cemetery.  The church was gifted to the community by John Acland (same name as the falls we had just hiked to) and it was consecrated in 1869.  Two of the young infants were Acland’s children.

The church is built from hand-cut boulders from the nearby Rangitata River.  The ceiling shows off the local matai wood and the altar rails are made of knotted totara.

Although solidly built, it sustained damage from the 7.1 Canterbury earthquake in 2011.  Tragically the impressive and vibrant stained glass window above the altar fell away as the wall crumbled.

Restoration of the church took seven years and cost around $1.6 million.  This cost was funded by insurance and generous community donations and grants.

Once again the eye-catching and intricate detailed window holds pride of place behind the altar.

Geraldine River Walk

I did manage to pick up a great pamphlet in the Information Centre which showed a few walks to do around the town.  The shadows were drawing in as it was now late afternoon so we opted for the River Walk which is located pretty much in the centre of town. 

This an easy-going walk (you can choose how far you want to wander) and follows the banks of the Waihi River.  It was very pretty as we still managed to catch the last of the autumn leaves before they all fell from the surrounding trees.

We ended up enjoying a ‘cold one’ at the historic Crown Heritage Hotel which has been a watering-hole since 1906. The Edwardian Hotel is situated in the heart of Geraldine and quite the focal point for travellers and town folk alike.

Still More to Geraldine

There are still more attractions to see in Geraldine which we didn’t include on our list this time around. Click on the link to go straight to their websites for more information.

• Walk the Heritage Trail – take a self-guided tour and step back in time using the heritage trail map to learn more about Geraldine’s rich pioneering history from the information panels located along the trail.  You can choose to do the self-guided trail or via a personalized guide. 
• Geraldine Historical Museum
• Geraldine Vintage Car & Machinery Museum
• Talbot Forest Scenic Reserve Tracks
• Aviation Museum at Rangitata Aerodrome
• Geraldine Cinema

Click on the link below for a slide show of some of our highlights of Geraldine.