Cheviot: Forest Walks, Local History and Coastal Routes

Discover Cheviot through its tree-filled landscapes, local history and range of outings. Marked walking tracks, a museum and routes between the coast and the hills offer different experiences. When planning, you can weigh up whether nature, culture or outings should shape your stay.

Forest history at Cheviot Hills Reserve

At the southern end of town is the entrance to Cheviot Hills Reserve, via State Highway One or Gore Bay Road. It is 1.2 km from the town centre. The reserve includes the original plantings and the former home of William “Ready Money” Robinson, the landowner of the Cheviot Hills estate from 1857 to 1889.

The reserve is a forest area with exotic and native trees, including notable specimen trees. Some are among the largest of their kind in New Zealand. Marked, easy walking tracks wind among centuries-old oaks and eucalyptus trees, as well as plantings of ash, pine and native trees. The Ready Money Trail runs through the reserve; in spring, flowering daffodils add a seasonal touch. The tree species and time of year create different impressions on the walk.

Local history and walks

Cheviot Hills Domain has a walking track and good picnic spots. The surviving front steps of the historic homestead lead to the cricket pavilion. A separate footpath runs from Cheviot along Gore Bay Road into the domain. Some of the tree plantings there date back to the 1860s. This makes the walk different from the Ready Money Trail: here, the approach to the domain and its historic plantings shape the walk, while the reserve’s forest and the daffodils highlighted in spring define the other trail.

The Cheviot Museum on Hall Street covers the social history of Cheviot’s development from a large farming estate into a thriving rural community. It offers another perspective on the town, this time through changes in its way of life and economy. Together, the museum and the historic sites in the reserve and domain offer different ways to explore Cheviot’s past.

About 2 km north of Cheviot is St Anne’s Lagoon, a popular nature reserve. In the past, it supplied eels to Māori settlements in the surrounding area. The lagoon thus connects a specific natural site with its former importance to local people.

Coastal and hill routes

A coastal loop starts in Cheviot, follows Gore Bay Road to the beach and passes Cathedral Cliffs. The route includes hills to climb. Another viewpoint can be reached by a public, unsealed road that climbs steadily from Cheviot to a summit. From there, views extend across the Hurunui River, the Lowry Hills Range and the Cheviot Basin. The two routes have different stated destinations: the coast and Cathedral Cliffs on one, and views across the river, range and basin on the other. Check road conditions before setting out.

Cyclists in Cheviot can choose between road cycling and mountain biking. Those interested in handmade crafts can also consider the Sunday Craft Market. A wide selection is on offer; as the market is weather-dependent, check whether it is taking place before you travel.

These different highlights offer practical guidance for planning, without requiring nature, culture and routes to be combined into a single type of outing.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Hawarden, Gore Bay, Lyford, Leithfield, Hanmer Springs, Amberley.

For the overview of the wider travel region: Hurunui District.