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Good eats, great wine and some soft adventure in the hinterland is a winning recipe for a memorable weekend escape. The Hurunui District positively beckons with a bounty of leisurely pursuits. From Christchurch Airport, it’s just a 40 minute drive to Hurunui’s gateway town of Amberley. Pull into Little Vintage Espresso, a sweet little café housed in a venerable old wooden building that pulls a loyal crowd. It’s the perfect pitstop for breakfast or brunch, whether you’re plumping for something from the cabinet or off the all day breakfast menu. Chirpy customers and communal tables fill the light, open space, where I wolfed down their Breakfast Bruschetta, brimming with roast tomato, roast capsicum, spinach and feta on toast. The coffee is top-notch, supplied by Christchurch roasters Switch, while they also offer a tantalising range of seasonal juices and smoothies. Hello Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie!   

Suitably fuelled, why not dabble in the vines? Amberley is your launchpad into the Waipara Valley, the crowning jewel of the North Canterbury wine region.  With several dozen wineries to explore on the Waipara Valley vineyard trail, they are primarily super-boutique Ma and Pa enterprises, producing high-end, hand-crafted wines. Signature varietals include vivid, eloquent Rieslings and rich-expressive Pinot Noirs, but producers are always broadening their repertoire. 

Georges Road Wines. Image supplied

There’s a great stretch of boutique wineries edging the south bank of the Waipara River, strung along Georges Road. Many visitors aren’t aware of this bountiful pocket of Waipara goodness, but it’s a must. A star specimen is the eponymously named, Georges Road Wines. Winemaker Kirk Bray treated me to his handcrafted delights at Georges Road Wines. You can expect big wines from this small 8 hectare estate, producing some sublime Syrah, Pinot Gris, and the crowd favourite Rosé. Impeccable viticulture and old-school winemaking techniques shines through in every glass. Also on Georges Road, Terrace Edge and the Bone Line serve up spectacular panoramas and highly agreeable tastings.  

On the northern side of the Waipara River, I also called into Torlesse Wines. The Rayner family have been growing and producing superb wines from here for over 30 years. Let the taste of liquid summer linger, with a Torlesse 2024 Rosé. I’m also quite partial to their Omihi Road Pinot Noir. Torlesse prides itself on hand-crafted 100% Estate-grown wines. They produce a vast range varietals, including award-winning Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, plus their tawny is a hot-seller. You can hire one of their bikes to get around a few more Waipara wineries. The North Canterbury Wine and Food Festival is fast approaching and always a bumper day out. This year’s outing is set down for March 9th at Glenmark Domain.  

Vino time at Georges Road Wines. Image supplied

From Waipara, it’s just a 45 minute drive to Hanmer Springs, but take your time because the drive is a rolling medley of scenic pleasure.  First up, you’ll thread your way through the tucks and folds of Weka Pass, legendary for its limestone rock outcrops and whimsical formations like Frog Rock. Beyond Culverden, the rolling Hurunui Hills give way vast plains of farmland and imperious peaks, rising on the horizon. The spectacular Tekoa Range features a sequence of pointy peaks, piercing the sky like witches’ hats, while the slithering Waiau River cuts through the limestone-strewn landscape. 

Just after turning off SH7, for the final run to Hanmer Springs, I was ready to embrace the elements, soaking up the splendour of the Waiau Uwha River. Hanmer Springs Attractions operate a swag of activities, just below and from the venerable, kauri-clad Waiau Ferry Bridge, strutting 35 metres above the water. This premium adventure tourism operator offers jet boating, bungy jumping, rafting, quad biking, paintball and clay shooting. Rather than hurtling myself off the historic wrought-iron bridge, which opened in 1887, I joined one of their exhilarating jet boat rides which is a 30 minute romp on the river and through the canyon, taking in about 8km of the river.  

Hanmer Springs Attractions jetboating. Credit Visit Hurunui

Hanmer Springs Attractions is the only operator on the Waiau Uwha with an all twin-engine fleet, accentuating your safety and comfort. First up, we headed north to bask in the expansive brilliance of the Hanmer Range, under bluebird skies and beaming sunshine. Then we headed south, under the bridge and down into the Waiau canyon, where the rapids can be quite frisky! My driver Cieran was a wizard behind the wheel, despite claiming it was only his second day on the job. Powering through the water with precision, switching from narrow gorges to braided shallows, he threw in plenty of 360 spins for good measure. The water shimmered like liquid jade in the sun. It is such a novel vantage point to immerse yourself in the kaleidoscopic richness of the landscape – and all its wondrous textures.  

Cieran stopped by Marble Point, to illustrate that the riverside rock terraces are a mix of limestone and “Hanmer marble.” This outcrop of red-tinted, recrystallised limestone was commercially sold as “Hanmer marble” for years. Cieran also pointed out the Hope Fault, stamped into the limestone rock face exploding from the river terrace. Beneath that, a fossil line imprinted in the rock has unearthed all manner of ancient marine fossils, dating back 30 million years, when this part of the Waiau Uwha River was actually a beach. Canterbury Museum has extracted numerous fossils from the site, including ancient penguin and fish bones. https://visithanmersprings.co.nz/ 

Mike Yardley is our resident traveller on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.