If you are headed to Arthur’s Pass from Christchurch, a great stop for a picnic lunch and an enjoyable walk is Castle Hill. Located about 90km northwest of Christchurch on SH73, Castle Hill is a fantasy world of limestone formations that resemble ancient crumbling castles. The Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia movies both have used these otherworldly landscapes as backdrops. The trail is an easy 1km walk in each direction with some optional boulder scrambling to explore this strange and enchanting landscape.
Arthur’s Pass Visitor Centre
The centre, located directly across from the train station, is the perfect first stop for your visit to Arthur’s Pass National Park. Run by the Department of Conservation(DOC), the centre has the latest weather information and daily updates on trail conditions. You can sign in here to advise park staff of your back country hiking plans. Remember to sign out after you complete the hike.
The visitor’s centre has many excellent artifacts from the early days of travel through the pass, including the only preserved stagecoach in New Zealand. The historic engineering feats of the Otira tunnel and highway viaduct are also highlighted.
