Craigieburn Forest Park

Craigieburn Forest Park is a beautiful area located in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It is a protected area and stretches across the Waimakariri River to the Wilberforce River and encompasses native beech forests, braided rivers and wild mountain peaks. You can plan your adventure holiday and experience wildlife or go tramping, mountain biking, hunting, skiing, camping, four-wheel driving and walking.

The nearest town is Arthur’s Pass and it is a 110km drive from Christchurch. There are 12 Huts for accommodation and the ski fields provide accommodation all year round. You can also go camping in the Craigieburn Picnic Area. There are plenty of walking trails to explore even in winter. The mountain beech forest surrounding Craigieburn is stunning and thought to resemble New Zealand before it was cleared for farming and many biking tracks and trails pass through this ancient forest. The park is home to native wildlife such as the black skree butterfly, skink, kea, and New Zealand falcon (karearea) and you could even interact with alpine parrots in the mountains. This is a place of extremes where you can enjoy sheltered valleys or rugged mountaintops up to 2300 meters.