We camp at Peel Forest DOC camp, a beautifully maintained camp with excellent facilities.
Do a hike to the Acland Falls, picturesque 14mt falls nice to stretch the legs!
A beautiful late afternoon we enjoy a cold beer and socialize with a lovely couple David and Deirdre from Clarksville, Canterbury.
The following morning we pack a picnic to spend the day exploring the Rangitata Gorge, first stop is the Mount Peel at the Church of the Holy Innocents, built by the Acland Family in 1869, built from hand cut boulders from the Rangitata River, a stunning sturdy church. Surrounding the church are gravestones which tell so much of its history. The Mt Peel homestead is visible through the magnificent mature trees and well manicured grounds. The Acland family still run Mt Peel station. We continue up the gorge marveling at the well farmed land, deer, beef, sheep. Stations we pass by , Coal Hill, Stew Point, Rata Peaks, Ben McLeod, Garondale and finally Mesopotamia big beautiful country! A keen Nor West is coming down the gorge dust clouds billowing in the distance, we walk down to the Upper Rangitata Cemetry here we find Dr Sinclair’s Grave, he drowned whilst attempting to cross the river after his horse bolted in 1861. He was with his good friend Julius Von Haast whilst surveying the upper Rangitata. Once again history is told in the headstones, long family associations with land ” between the rivers”… Gifkins, Curtis and Prouting, and it reminds you of the many lives connected to this dramatic high country landscape. We picnic down at the river enjoying the vistas, watching the long legged stilts protecting their chicks, banded dotterell scurrying along the River bed and the ever opportunistic black backed gulls circling above, oyster catchers flying by squawking in unison. We are at road end there is an opportunity to continue further up the valley 4WD track but with a couple of river crossings we decide that will be for another trip another time. We head back down the gorge never tiring of the beauty of this landscape.
