Nature, Adventure, and Fun: Your Guide to Activities in and around Jackson’s Retreat

A West Coast Tradition

Wild Food Festival – The name says it all! Only 67 km’s from Jackson’s Retreat

Back in 1990 a Hokitika woman Claire Bryant instigated the very first celebration of local wild foods. Her wine cellar was very well stocked with a home brew of West Coast gorse flower wine and people were clamoring for a taste of her rose petal brew.

So … why not a festival celebrating the tastes of the wild West Coast?!

The first event also coincided with the 125th anniversary celebration of the birth of Hokitika in March 1990. Locals and the rest of New Zealand were captured by the magic of the idea – a celebration of Hokitika and the wild foods of the West Coast.

The Wild Foods Festival is traditionally held on the second Saturday in March, but you can check the Wild Foods Festival website for more information and the next event date.

Spend the day at Hokitika and avoid the rush by heading back to Jackson’s Retreat Alpine Holiday Park for some peace and quiet!

Find out more about the event at https://wildfoods.co.nz/events-info/

Walk through the bush Tent Sites to the Rain Forest bush line and you’ll find…..

Track : Quartz Mine Site – 3 hours return trip, Take a beautiful Rain Forest bush walk then zig-zag up the abandoned Battery Road to the site of a historic Quartz Mine where quartz was crushed for its gold content. Meander your way through pristine NZ Native bush to where miners spent their days in search of gold, now days a quite spot to relax as the surrounding bush re-claims the area.

Track : Glow Worm Waterfall – 40 mins return trip, again a spectacular NZ Native bush walk to a very photogenic waterfall, walk amongst ferns, pungas and under towering Totara and 500 year old Rimu to our most photogenic waterfall. Spot the Fantails (Pīwakawaka) and Tomtits (Ngirungiru) as they flit around the bush searching for bugs.

All this is free for Jacksons Retreat guest use.
Ability: Medium fitness

Jackson’s Retreat is lucky to share the home of an extensive range of native birds. Many of our native birds are critical for dispersing seeds and pollination of native trees.

Kereru, which was protected from hunting in 1922, also known as Wood Pigeon spread the seeds of trees with large fruit such as Miro, Puriri, Tawa and Tairare, the Kereru can be great fun to watch when they eat the fermented berries and literally fall out of the trees DRUNK!

Listen out for the Bellbirds and the Tui being which was one of our earliest protected birds, protected since 1873.
Both are known for not only their stunning musical calls early in the morning and at dusk, they also pollinate several native species that you will find around our Park like Flax (Harakeke), Kowhai and Fuchsia (Totukutuk) trees.

Other species you will see around our Park or in the Rainforest:

Daily – Kereu, Weka, Falcon, Tui, Bellbird, TomTit, Silver Eye (Waxeye), Fantail, Song Thrush
Often – Shag, Paradise Duck, Kingfisher, Grey Warbler, Chaffinch
Occasional – Shining Cuckoo, Rock Wren, Rifleman, NZ Robin, Kaka
Rear – Yellow Crowned Parakeet, Kea
Night time Only – Morepork, Great Spotted Kiwi – listen for their shrill call
Don’t forget our well-loved chickens – .we have their fresh free range eggs available @ The Camp Pantry.

Kiwi Spotting – why are New Zealanders called Kiwi’s? Well, here’s one story…..

New Zealand’s servicemen were by and large country & farm boys. They would have been very familiar with the kiwi bird as they were still very numerous in rural areas around the turn of the 20th century. Perhaps it appealed to their sense of humour to take on the identity of a bird where the male had a glorious far reaching call and the female just growled, where the female laid a huge egg which the male incubated. It sounded all too much like married life to the New Zealand male. Being such aggressive scrappy birds with their strong legs and sharp claws they would take on anything and anyone. The soldiers made the bird their own.

Sporting women & men today have the silver fern on their uniforms, but they all represent their country as proud Kiwi’s

NZ’s national icon is here in the bush and have been seen wandering into the Park grounds or on occasion have been spotted on the way to the Glow Worm dells.

Male great spotted kiwi has a high trilling whistle call repeated between 6 and 20 times and the females call is lower and harsher. Google their call so you know what to listen for.

Remember they are nocturnal and very very shy. Waiting for complete darkness and when most campers are tucked up in bed, now is the time to see if any Kiwi have ventured out – remember your RED light and you must be very quiet, use a white light and you will miss out!

A fabulous site to check out all about The Kiwi https://www.kiwisforkiwi.org

Flora & Fauna – our Rainforest has many majestic Rimu hundreds of years old

You will find many native trees on and around our Park, Rimu – Kamahi – Rata and Fuchia to name but a few.

Many of our native trees are protected like Rimu, these can grow up to 50 metres high and the majestic ones you see around and behind our park can have a life span of 800-900 years.

Kamahi “The Honey Tree” is produced on the West Coast. Kamahi is in fact a honey with very complex flavours and after tones that send honey gourmets into paroxysms of delight.

Southern Rata is also another major honey tree for the West Coast but more importantly it is also known as NZ’s own Christmas Tree as the beautiful flowers are abundant during December & February turning the Alpine forests crimson.

NZ native Fuchia is a fast growing soft wooded tree that you will see abundantly around our park, Bellbirds, & Tui love the nectar and when the flowers are spent the Kereru gobble up the berries – watch out walking around or under the trees Kereu will fly in at low altitude. The berries also can be eaten and used for cooking of chutneys & sauces.

NZ Punga – Silver Fern(Ponga) and Wheki are our main tree ferns on and around our park. A Koru is the spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, Pounamu carving and tattooing, where it symbolizes new life, growth, strength and peace. We have a beautiful range of locally crafted Pounamu available for sale at The Camp Pantry.

During your travels on our tracks you will also have the opportunity to see various species of Fungi, these could be bright colours or weird shapes like Stink Horns, Puffballs & Earthstars, Wood-ear and the Tooth fungi. Let the children’s imagination go wild with Forest Fairies and their fanciful fungi playground.

Not only will you be serenaded by bellbirds and Tui but you will be followed by TomTits (Ngirungiru) and chatty Fantails (Pīwakawaka) which will be flitting around snapping up the little insects that you disturb on the way.

NGARIMU WALKING TRACK – Ngarimu means “The Rimu” Strong & Proud

For your safety while walking the tracks or trails on and around Jackson’s Retreat please always be aware of your surroundings, the terrain suites most abilities with a moderate fitness level, ensure you understand your own walking abilities and do not take any risks.

Parts of our tracks and trails will require you to have “route-finding skills”, we have various markers on our tracks, but they may not always be visible or continuous. We advise you not to tramp alone but if that is your plan please let someone know your intentions before you start.

Remember to prepare for your trip so that it is safe and enjoyable. Your safety is your responsibility, make well informed decisions to suit not only yourself but your whole group especially small children, ensure they are always supervised especially when around the various creeks that boarder our property and in the Rainforest.

Our forest has no snakes, spiders, leeches or nasty animals, you are completely safe to roam and enjoy.
Our tracks are not suitable for cycle or pushchairs.

The Waterfall track -40min return trip. The start of the Ngariumu walking track is the RED gate, follow the spectacular true Kiwi Bush Track to our stunning waterfall. In Summer months the water from this waterfall is wonderfully refreshing coming straight from the snow! We would love to see your photos and add them to our guest collection on Facebook or TripAdvisor or send them to us at info@jacksonsretreat.co.nz so we can post them on our site.

1860’s Quartz mine site 2.5-3 hrs return trip. Meandering along on the main Ngariumu track as you walk through untouched historic native rainforest the track forks to the Left, follow this to the abandoned Battery Road which zig-zags up to the old 1860’s quartz mine abandoned working area with a few relics scattered, you can see the platform areas where their huts would have been and if you forage in the nearby stream you may uncover some more relics or gold. Take a moment to appreciate the life the miners living here endured as the bush now re-claims the area.

It’s not always about the destination but the journey through the forest

Land is considered a resource to be respected according to the principle of KAITIAKITANGA

Around Lake Brunner Cycle Race – only a 20min drive from Jackson’s Retreat to the start line!

Around Brunner started as a 130km sealed circuit cycle ride taking you through some of the most stunning scenery New Zealand has to offer. In 2015 the Enduro, 2 laps of the traditional ride being 260km was introduced and in 2019 the change of the start/finish to Moana Lake Brunner.

Both the Around Brunner 130km and Enduro 260km race, this fantastic event is in its 14th year.
Around Brunner caters for all competitors from the Elite rider through to the Recreational Rider with age group categories throughout.

We’ll even cater for those that want to ride their e-Bike in the event, as this keeps so many riders active. Riding an e-Bike means you’re non-competitive but still doing the event and eligible for spot prizes.

Starting from Kumara, cyclists ride along State Highway 73,climbing gently through scenic podicarp rainforest and along The Mighty Taramakau River passing Jackson’s Retreat Alpine Holiday Park’s front door and turning off to Inchbonnie, the half-way point and stage teams changeover. Cyclists then turn north for a breathtaking flat ride through the stunning scenery of Lake Poerua, Rotomanu and Moana, which are nestled between the spectacular Southern Alps and tranquil Lake Brunner. The Around Brunner Cycle Ride is generally held in the third weekend in April. You can find out more information at the Around Brunner website https://www.aroundbrunner.co.nz/

The next Around Brunner Cycle Ride – Saturday 7th May 2022

Jackson’s Holiday Park is again a fantastic base for Around Brunner supporters and participants.

Next Race – 11 & 12 February 2022

Book your Accommodation now!

Kathmandu Coast 2 Coast – The Coast to Coast has become almost a right of passage for multisport athletes from around the world with over 20,000 people having completed the event in the 38 years to date. Being a world premier multi-sport event and a benchmark by which every other multi-sports event is judged, both here in New Zealand and Internationally.

The Kahtmandu Coast to Coast is normally held on the first weekend in February, but you can check the Coast to Coast website for more information https://www.coasttocoast.co.nz/

Jackson’s Retreat Alpine Holiday Park is a fantastic base for Coast to Coast supporters and participants.
Participants will be cycling outside your front door – the perfect spot for cheering them on!

The Bald Range – our southern range Rangi Taipo has an altitude of 1400m, widely tramped to the Kelly Range and up to Arthurs Pass.

There is a beautiful river & bush trail for both feet & wheels along the Taipo River approx 5min drive West of our Park.
Mt Alexander and The Kaimata Range – our Northern & Nor Western range, Mt Alexander has an altitude of 1958m, this is a two day hike staying over night in a DOC hut, the track starts on Lake Brunner road literally 5 mins from our Park and is a two-day hike.

Mt French – Hohonu Range – our Nor Eastern Range has an altitude of 1305m, the track starts from Mitchells Lake Brunner and is a 7-8-hour hike, views can be from Mt Cook to Able Tasman – stunning.

These tracks are known by the locals to be some of the best in the area as they are less frequented by the masses and are therefor more pristine.

For your adrenaline rush Jet Boating on the Mighty Taramakau River or you can choose to play on Lake Poerua or Lake Brunner.

Contact us to find out more about outdoor adventure and activities available when you stay at Jackson’s Retreat Alpine Holiday Park.

SKIING ON THE SOUTHERN ALPS – Jackson’s Retreat back yard!

Temple Basin Ski Field – 20 min drive East of Jackson’s Retreat https://www.templebasin.co.nz

Ungroomed ski and snowboarder’s paradise in Arthur’s Pass National Park, New Zealand.

Craigieburn Valley Ski Area – 1hr drive East of Jackson’s Retreat. Located in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, where the ups are good, and the downs are even better. Steep narrow chutes, wide open powder bowls, uncrowded runs or just a place to take it easy in the awesome vista of the Craigieburn Range. If you are an advanced or expert rider then skiing The Big One at Craigieburn is your holy grail!

Mount Cheeseman is a club snowfield in New Zealand’s South Island, near the town of Springfield, about an hour and a half from Christchurch. Situated in a south-east-facing basin, it features two T-bar lifts and one learner tow.

Arthurs Pass – The township and the pass are named after Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson (1841–1934). Arthur Dobson had been tasked by the Chief Surveyor, Thomas Cass, to find out if there was an available pass out of the Waimakariri watershed into valleys running to the West Coast. In 1864, his brother Edward joined him and accompanied him into the valley of the Otira River. A West Coast Māori Chief, Tarapuhi, told Arthur of a pass that Māori hunting parties occasionally used. When Arthur returned to Christchurch, he sketched the country he had traversed and included it in a report to Cass. Arthur Dobson did not name the pass, which he found very steep on the western side.

Dobson named the site that became the township “Camping Flat”.

When the West Coast Gold Rush began in 1864, a committee of businessmen offered a £200 prize for anyone who would find a better or more suitable pass from Canterbury over the Southern Alps to West Canterbury (the West Coast). At the same time George Dobson, (another brother), was sent to examine every available pass between the watershed of the Taramakau, Waimakariri, and the Hurunui. After examining passes at the head of every valley he reported that “Arthur’s” pass was by far the most suitable for the direct crossing and the name stuck.

Find out more about Arthur’s Pass here: https://www.arthurspass.com/

Arthur’s Pass, climbing to more than 900 metres through Arthur’s Pass National Park, is the highest and most spectacular pass across the Southern Alps.

If you’re travelling from Canterbury to the West Coast, this is the road to take. It is a piece of extreme engineering involving viaducts, bridges, rock shelters and waterfalls redirected into chutes.

Arthur’s Pass National Park itself is a landscape of two halves. On the eastern side, you’ll see wide, shingle-filled riverbeds and vast swathes of beech forest. Descending the western side and you venture through dense rainforest alongside and over deeply gorged rivers. From our Park you will be able to watch the Trans Alpine Train cross the Mighty Taramakau River.

If you’re feeling adventurous, go hiking, mountaineering or even take in the more gentle Arthurs Pass village walks, here you are spoilt for choice. You’ll probably spot New Zealand’s inquisitive and comical alpine parrot, the Kea, along the way and during winter you can join the lucky skiers and snowboarders enjoying spectacular runs in the Temple Basin Ski Area approx a 20min drive from Jackson’s Retreat.

Lake Brunner is the largest lake in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand, covering an area of 40 km². The lake’s outflow is the Arnold River, a tributary of the Grey River. The lake lies 31 kilometres to the southeast of Greymouth. The main settlement close to the lake is Moana, on the northern shore. It was gouged out by a branch of the Taramakau Glacier and is one of a cluster of lakes within this sector of the Grey River catchment including Poerua, Kangaroo, Lady, Haupiri, Hochstetter and Ahaura. The lake is fed by the Crooked, Orangipuku and Eastern Hohonu Rivers and a number of small streams. Its outflow is the Arnold River, a tributary of the Grey River. The Lake Brunner area has an abundance of bird life and a variety of wetland and rain forest ecosystems.

The Maori name for the lake is Kotuku Whakaoho, meaning the ‘sea of herons’. The present name commemorates Thomas Brunner who, in 1848, became the first European to see the lake during his epic 550 day exploration of the region with Kehu and other Maori guides.

Nature and conservation, Lake Brunner is a holiday destination abundant with both water and land based activities. Only 33 kms North from Jackson’s Retreat Moana is serviced daily by both the TranzAlpine train and a variety of shuttle buses. Within a 10min walk from our Park if you have a couple of hours or a couple of days this is a stunning area to explore. Walking, Biking and Hiking trails in the area range from 20 minutes to 8 hours.

Humphries Creek has friendly eels which you can feed and keep an eye out for the local adult Inanga.

The annual whitebait (inanga) migration was an important mahinga kai resource for Māori all around Aotearoa.
Adult Inanga were also taken during their downstream migration to the ocean when they were rich and full of eggs. Captured fish were either dried in the sun or on rocks. Preservation in this manner meant that the fish could be kept in an edible state for months.

River Fishing – on the Mighty Taramakau River @ Rocky Point for Rainbow & Brown Trout, Crooked Creek on the way to Moana.

Lake Fishing – Lake Brunner is the locals best kept secret for Brown Trout or catch the Lake Brunner Safari for guaranteed fishing fun.

Remember you will need a fishing license which is available on line https://fishandgame.org.nz/licences/

History and culture – Visit Jack’s Mill School at Kotuku (30 minutes via Lake Brunner road) one of the quirkiest sites on the West Coast, a historic miniature bungalow designed, built and furnished entirely by the Kotuku school children aged 10-12 years.

The Kotuku school was opened c1909 in the small saw-milling settlement. Little distinguished it from any other rural school until 1935 when Edward Darracott was appointed headmaster. He was an advocate of a new approach to education in New Zealand, which emphasised experiential learning tailored to the needs of individual children.

Considered revolutionary, Darracott gave his students hands on projects to teach them practical skills that would equip them for adult life. Making over the school’s garden was the first task.

Once the garden was complete, Darracott’s philosophy of experiential learning was realised on a much more ambitious scale when he led a group of 10-12 year old students to design, build and furnish a small bungalow, built to three quarter size. Students were involved in all aspects of its construction. They even sourced three quarter size interior appliances including a bath tub, hot water cylinder, stove, kitchen sink and kitchen units.

When finished the bungalow was fully functional, complete with electricity and running water. It was used as the home economics room until the close of the school in 1955.

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On Sundays the buildings are open to visitors from 2-5 pm (entry by donation).
Throughout the rest of the week visitors can inspect the grounds during daylight hours.
Tours can be arranged; contact the Kotuku Heritage Society on +64 3 738 0049 or email kotukuheritage@gmail.com.

Our Tiaki promise -To care for the People & The Place

KAUPAPA – A set of values, principles and a plan which people have agreed on as a foundation for their actions

KAITIAKITANGA – The relationship between everything and everybody in the natural world – there is no distinction between people & their environment

Aotearoa is a special place, the people who live and travel on her land have a duty of care to protect our environment, nurture & care for our people, respect our culture and our land.

We ask that you help us with our Tiaki Promise.

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENTS

We believe in protecting the beautiful environment at Jackson’s and want to ensure that future generations can visit and enjoy an improved environment to what you are seeing and enjoying today.

We have developed our environmental plan to help protect a piece of New Zealand’s unique environment, and we welcome your support in this initiative during your visit.

Many of our efforts you will not see but we hope there are some you will notice.

How can YOU Help Us?

We invite our guests to help protect the New Zealand environment when you stay at Jackson’s Retreat Alpine Holiday Park

• PLEASE ALWAYS THINK OF THE ENVIRONMENT FIRST
• Please use rubbish bins & ashtrays provided
• Please place your rubbish in the BIG bin in the main Parking Area, please refer to your camp map.  Using this bin rather than the ones in the Kitchen reduces use of extra plastic bags – small initiative but very rewarding for the environment. Your waste is then sorted in Greymouth for Re-cycling.

Did you know that our biggest waste is single use plastic water bottles!

• When walking the Ngarimu Track, please leave only your footprints and you’ll leave with many beautiful Rainforest memories
• Please ask at the office for Native seeds to spread throughout the Ngarimu Rainforest Walking Track, this helps rejuvenate the lower forest floor which in turn feeds native birds, insects and wildlife, – striving for continued Native plantings is reducing our carbon emissions.
• We are constantly seeking ways to improve our efforts, and welcome your feedback and/or suggestions. Suggestion box for this is on the bookshelf at the far end of the guest lounge.

Prior to 2005 this property was part of a large farming block used for fattening Cattle.

Currently over 8,500 native plants have been planted and we are continually adding to this initiative.

Jacksons Retreat has been created with integrity and respect for the land and Her natural resources. With the environmental initiatives and maintenance programmes we have in place this Park will always be improving for future generations, we hope to see you on your next NZ visit.

Our buildings are purpose-built using “for life” materials, recycled woods and sustainable materials, impacting less on the environment.

Our Park signage are re-cycled Railway Sleepers, Art & Garden Furniture are re-cycled farming equipment made locally and where possible we believe everything has a second life.

The Park has a unique fresh water supply system, hundred of metres up the mountain range, water is piped down, filtered and stored for distribution throughout the park.

Water from every tap in the park is potable and tastes great, this system has Health Department approval….ENJOY!!

• Fresh drinking water, all tap water to the Park is the best Alpine drinking water you could get for free, please refill your bottles. Why buy more when you can get it for free and help to save the environment WIN WIN! Taps are on all powered sites, various camp sites and obviously in the kitchen and around the outside of the amenities building. Re-fill your small bottles, large bottles, bulk containers, motorhomes – it’s all free and the BEST!

We have built our own specially designed sewerage system using the latest technology, gravel, and planting native grasses on the site, ensuring that there  is  no  run-off from  our  property to  streams that feed the  Mighty Taramakau River running to the Tasman Sea.

We trap for both Possum, Stoats and Rats, reducing the number of predators in the area, helping to give our native flora and fauna a better chance of survival.

By loballing our Local Minister of Parliament,Tourism Industry Association and Holiday Parks Association, we were able to ensure that now and in the future there will be no 1080 poison drops in our direct area.

Jackson’s  Retreat  and   surrounding  native bush areas are now 1080 Poison Free.

Our Current & Future Environmental Practices

Below is a summary of some of the environmental practices that we at Jacksons Retreat continue to implement:

• Using recycled timber in our office and the bathroom amenity blocks
• Kitchen benches made with untreated timber from sustainable resources
• Day-night sensor lighting throughout the entire park
• Energy-efficient lightbulbs throughout the entire park
• Solar-powered lights around unpowered areas of the park
• Heat transfer pump from lounge log fire into bathrooms
• Low-flush toilet options
• Shower systems that use less water & are energy efficient with LPG
• Toilet paper and hand towels made from recycled materials
• Growing organic vegetables and buying organic where possible
• Buying environmentally friendly biodegradable cleaning products or creating our own
• Re-cycling office paper waste
• Composting food and bathroom handtowel paper waste
• Recycling all waste where possible within the Park’s grounds
• Donating unwanted or unclaimed items to local charities
• We buy our products and employ tradespeople from local sources, which supports our area and reduces the distance our goods and services travel to reach us.
• We support our local and the wider communities.

We also pledge to apply the following environmentally responsible principles across all aspects of our business where possible:

• Avoid polluting land, air and water
• Avoid depleting natural, non-renewable resources
• Avoid destroying habitats and places of historical and cultural significance

To commit to our business legal requirements, we comply with all relevant environmental legislation and with all other local council requirements.

Thank you for taking the time to read our Environmental Commitment Policy and again we Thank You for choosing Jackson’s Retreat Alpine Holiday Park and we hope that you are enjoying your stay.

Sunset @ The Park

We might not have a West Coast ocean sunset to boast of but when our surrounding mountains go through the change of light and Mt Alexandra with her snow-capped peak catching the sunset and turning pink, all are a truly magical sight for the eyes and the bird sound of night time settling is a symphony to your ears.

Now the sun is sinking
In the golden west;
Birds and bees and children
are going to rest;
And the merry streamlet,
As it runs along,
With a voice of sweetness
Sings its evening song