RockRidge: Where the High Country Opens
01 September 2026
01 September 2026
An hour west of Christchurch, where the Canterbury Plains meet the Southern Alps, two farming families have built 31 kilometers of purpose-designed trail through spectacular, unseen terrain to create RockRidge: a two-night all-inclusive walking experience already being hailed as one of New Zealand's best.
Traversing Quartz Hill Station, Birchview and Washpen Falls near Windwhistle, the experience pairs adventure with premium comfort, swapping traditional huts for a country homestead, charming quarters, wellness, and chef-curated dining. Adventurous without being punishing, since launching in February 2026, demand has been strong.
The seed was planted at a school fundraiser. Georgie Harper and Megan McElrea helped organise a fully catered 4x4 trip through local high-country stations — private land, extraordinary landscape, great food — and the response stopped them both in their tracks.
"We were just blown away," says Megan, who is one of the co-founders of RockRidge with her husband Henry. "People really responded to being on the private land, having access to this incredible landscape. And Georgie and I discovered that we worked really well together."
It was over drinks, not long after, that Georgie floated the next idea. A multiday walk across private land. Fully catered. Something people would travel for.
"We all sort of laughed," says Dan. "But then we just slept on it for a few months—and all came around and thought, actually we can do that."
Ambitious definitely, expensive probably, and maybe even a little bit mad. They built it anyway.
"It took us a year from that first conversation to get the first spade in the ground," says Dan Harper, Georgie's husband, of Quartz Hill Station, "and then three years of building from there."
To navigate the terrain, they brought in a trail design expert, who worked closely with the families to map the track around the land's natural features—the bluffs, rocky outcrops, and dramatic ridgelines.
"I was probably a little bit arrogant going in," Dan admits. "I thought we'd build a track in a year, easy. But I couldn't have been more wrong. We were pushing through bluffs, caves, and dense bush we'd barely been into ourselves. Things I thought would take a week took months. There were plenty of days I wondered if it was worth it, and if anyone would actually show up when we were done."
Show up, they did. Since opening in February 2026, RockRidge has earned exceptional reviews, and bookings have been strong as word of the experience continues to spread; by the time the final group stepped off the track in May, Season Two was already filling.
For the team, it is the ultimate vindication after three years of hard graft.
The RockRidge experience begins with an arrival evening and spans two full days of walking, with every detail managed from the start. The route climbs through a constantly shifting landscape of rocky outcrops, high-country tussock, lakes, and streams, offering views spanning the Southern Alps down to the sea.
Over the two-day journey, walkers gain 1,750 meters in elevation with the route reaching its highest point at High Peak Summit, at just under 1,000 meters above sea level. The trail is designed to feel gradual rather than punishing.
"Our goal was always to create something that feels premium, but still grounded in rural New Zealand," says Megan McElrea. "The sheer variety of landscape blows guests away. We are one hour west of Christchurch, yet people feel like they've found somewhere completely undiscovered."
"We intentionally cap it at ten walkers. We're not about throughput; we want a personal, considered experience where guests feel genuinely hosted."
Walkers stay the first night at the restored Birchview homestead, the second at the renovated Quartz Hill quarters—a former shearers quarters that has been transformed into something warm and well-appointed, with a large hot tub and sauna waiting at the end of day two. The two nights are intentionally very different experiences.
"We've been delighted by how warmly guests have responded to the accommodation," says Megan. "People love the freshly made beds, beautiful linen, and the thoughtful touches—cookie jars, a chilled jug of elderflower cordial waiting on the bench."
"It's genuine rural hospitality."
Then there is the food, which delivers a premium experience well beyond standard hiking fare. From generous breakfasts and trail lunches to beautifully prepared evening meals, the menu celebrates quality local produce and seasonal ingredients.
Guests enjoy Lumina lamb and 55-day aged handpicked beef, both linked to the farming systems of Quartz Hill Station. The lambs begin life in the high country before being finished on chicory grown on the flats below. It's another way the walk connects guests to the landscape around them. The connection between land and plate isn't a marketing line here — it's a genuine part of the story.
"I've always been interested in bridging the gap between rural and urban New Zealand," says Dan. "Having walkers here gives us the opportunity to share our backyard and the farming story behind it. That's one of the most rewarding aspects of RockRidge."
RockRidge arrives as a new generation of small-scale, experience-led tourism ventures emerges across the Selwyn high country. Rather than competing on volume, these operators are investing in high-value, immersive experiences that encourage visitors to slow down and connect more deeply with local food, wellness, and the landscape.
"More than ever, people are looking for the chance to get outside, slow down and experience somewhere new," says Henry McElrea, who was born and raised on Windwhistle's Birchview Farm and has spent his life connected to this landscape.
"We're seeing interest from people of all ages," he says. "The Great Walks have played a huge role in showcasing New Zealand's outdoors, and we're finding people really value experiences that combine walking with comfort, hospitality and a deeper connection to the landscape and its people."
For now the focus for the upcoming season is less about expansion and more about refinement.
"After our inaugural season, we've learned a lot about timings, guest preferences, and even how long it takes to warm the hot tub — all those little details," Dan says.
"But it always comes back to the same core idea: we want our guests to leave with a real sense of achievement and the chance to properly switch off."
But the premium hospitality is only the staging ground for the main event.
"We have this extraordinary, dramatic landscape right in our backyard," Megan says. "Most people never get the opportunity to explore this high country landscape beyond what they can see from a distance. RockRidge opens the door to that. Guests leave with a genuine appreciation for just how breathtaking Canterbury is."
RockRidge reopens for Season Two in mid-October 2026, with bookings now open.
