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ContactThe Rakaia is a braided glacial river coming off the Southern Alps, and where it cuts through the foothills it turns a colour that does not look real — a milky turquoise that comes from rock flour suspended in the meltwater. The gorge is about an hour from Christchurch, which makes it the easiest proper mountain landscape on a day out from the city.
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Rakaia Gorge is where the braided Rakaia River cuts through the Canterbury foothills, with a walkway along the rim and jet boating on the water below.
The Rakaia Gorge Walkway runs along the northern rim for about two hours return, climbing through scrub and tussock to a pair of lookout points above the river. The water is the whole attraction: glacial rock flour gives it that opaque turquoise, and on an overcast day — which is common here — the colour is even more pronounced against grey sky and dark rock. The upper lookout is the better of the two, looking down the length of the gorge where the river bends, but the lower one is where you can see the jet boats working the shallows. The walkway itself is unremarkable terrain, well formed and not steep, and it is the view rather than the effort that earns it.
The Rakaia River running turquoise between cliff walls
Below the rim, jet boating operators run trips through the gorge itself, which is the other way to see it — fast, wet, and about as close as you can get to the water without a raft. The road in from Christchurch passes through the small settlement of Rakaia, which is worth a stop mainly for the salmon farm and the pie shops, and the river mouth further downstream is a known spot for salmon fishing in season. We stayed two nights in late February, using the gorge as a stop between Christchurch and the lakes further inland, and the light in the evening was the best of the day — the gorge faces west, and the low sun brings the blue out of the water.
February to April for settled weather and low flows; the colour is best on overcast days rather than full sun.
Methven or Rakaia, both within half an hour, rather than expecting accommodation at the gorge.
Stop at Rakaia on the way in for a pie or salmon from the farm shop; there is nothing to eat at the gorge itself.
Walk to the upper lookout rather than stopping at the first one — the second is ten minutes further and looks down the length of the gorge rather than across it.
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