Rakaia Gorge.

Rakaia river below the gorge.

We were off on a tiki tour today out across the Canterbury plains towards the Mt Hutt ski fields. First point of call was Methven where the winter skier’s are catered for with a lot of accommodation and hostelries.

Rakaia Gorge road bridge.Mt Hutt Ski fields minus the snow.Rakaia Gorge.Rakaia Gorge road bridge.Rakaia Gorge showing distinct geological patterns in  the rock face.Logging truck passing over the single lane bridge over the Rakaia River.Famous sheep station in Canterbury.

Jenny had read about a cafe in the town of Staveley which was famous for it’s sausage rolls so as this wasn’t too far away we headed off there. We were not dis-appointed with a wide variety of sausage rolls with cheese and pineapple, cheese and bacon, bacon and mushroom plus several others. This shop is the last remaining business in the town along with a church and just a few houses. Earlier in the 20th century there had been several timber mills, a blacksmith and a dairy factory producing cheese but all these had closed by 1930.

Famous sausage rolls at Staveley.Memorial to the early settlers of Canterbury at Staveley.

Returning to Ashburton by another route the rural landscape was changing with more grain silo’s being erected on farmer’s properties indicating an increase in grain farming. This along with some more huge dairy cow herds and irrigations systems measuring up to a kilometre in length, is vastly different to the sheep and lamb image of the past.

An unusual house near Staverley with 3 floors and an open viewing deck on top.