The Beautiful Rakaia Gorge | New Zealand

Last updated on 23 March 2022

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We had to stop at Rakaia Gorge twice to get this picture.

As my friend and I road-tripped from North Canterbury to Dunedin this summer, we managed to pick a day where it rained for about 6 hours straight. It wasn’t until we were nearly at our destination that the rain let up. On the way down, we stopped off (in the rain, yes) at the Rakaia Gorge, hoping to stretch our legs and take a look at the beautiful river. The rain wouldn’t let us, however, and the so-called ‘view’ was just a low, grey cloud encasing what we assumed was a lovely mountain-river scene.

Skip ahead 4 days and we were on our way back up the country, taking the same back round, driving with fingers crossed that it would a nice day. And by golly it was. A stunner of a day.

Driving this back way from Christchurch is not a route you might normally take, but if you’re visiting the area then a stop off at the Rakaia Gorge is well worth it. Hopefully if you visit, the day will be like our Take Two day, and not like our Take One. There’s a beautiful walking trail which you can take, too, which takes around 3-4 hours return. Obviously we didn’t do this, places to be, things to do, but I hear it’s quite lovely. Find out more about the river, gorge and walking trails on 100% Pure New Zealand.

Have you been to the Rakaia Gorge?