Rockwood Station escape
At the heart of Rockwood Station is a clearing, bordered on one side by native bush, on the other by sycamore trees. Nestled in the corner, above a bubbling stream, is a cabin.
Station owners Ben and Cheryl Richards converted an old hut into the Summer House, listed on Canopy Camping, to share their peaceful slice of Canterbury. My partner Josie and I were booked in for two nights in early August.
We arrived in the dark, having left Christchurch after work for the hour and a half drive. Ben met us at the homestead with a smile and guided us through their English garden to the cabin.
Much of the endless firewood for the cabin was sourced from the nearby sycamore, considered a pest species in the area. We kept the small Wagener Sparky wood burner cranking until the wee hours, eventually having to ditch the duvet.
It was morning before we took in the surroundings. Dominating the view from the deck and living area were 100 acres of native bush, cleared of wilding species through efforts by the owners and Environment Canterbury. Closer at hand was the courtyard, boasting a stone fireplace and separate fire pit on flat land above Rockwood Stream.
The sound of water coupled with native bird call had a noticeable calming effect on us as we devoured a cooked breakfast, prepared in the cabin’s full kitchen.
Across the clearing was a small graveyard. Ben explained it was consecrated land where his ancestors were buried, including Henry Phillips, who first settled the land in 1851.
The nearby bush walk lured us from the cosy, open-plan room, so we replaced slippers for shoes and took off under the canopy.
The hour walk hugged the stream for a few hundred metres before turning uphill and doubling back to the property driveway.
Our feigned ‘‘activity’’ called for a reward, which took the form of a spa bath back at the cabin. Without a shower, the bath also acted as our wash for the day, before retreating to the cabin to prepare dinner.
Keen to make the most of the outdoors while away from the city, we lit a fire in the pit and grilled chicken. Wrapped in blankets, drinking wine from glass, we felt the epitome of ‘‘glamping’’.
We woke on Sunday morning refreshed, albeit smelling of wood smoke. It does wonders escaping cellphone reception and the sounds of the city, and within Fridayafternoon reach, Rockwood Station’s Summer House is an ideal escape in any weather.
❚ The writer was hosted by Canopy Camping.