Methven: Heliskiing, thermal pools and walkway

Methven brings together a range of trip-planning themes: winter sports, thermal pools, local walking tracks and local history. Highlights range from seasonal ski bus services to community-designed track features and a historic pump house.

Winter sports and thermal pools

Methven Heliski offers heli-skiing and heli-snowboarding adventures in the Arrowsmiths. Its offering includes more than 200 named heli-ski routes across three mountain ranges. Operating dates and availability can change; check both before booking. During the ski season, ski buses run daily from Methven to the Mt Hutt base building, with several morning pick-ups. Check current operators and timetables before travelling. For a different experience, Ōpuke Thermal Pools & Spa offers a premium hot-pool experience and an exclusive day spa in Methven, at the foot of Mt Hutt, also known as Ōpuke.

Walkway, water management and wildlife

The Methven Walkway is 12 kilometres long and opened in 1979. It starts and finishes at Methven iHub; several rural roads cross the route, allowing you to walk different sections. The stated length refers to the entire walkway, while the road crossings also let you choose individual sections. The man-made Rangitata Diversion Race, locally known as the RDR, runs alongside the walkway. It supplies irrigation water in summer and hydroelectric power in winter. Its channel attracts ducks and other wildlife along the Methven Walkway.

Community tracks and skatepark

A section of the Methven Walkway beside the Methven Racecourse is called Enchanted Forest. It features fairy doors in the trees and painted stones along the track; the specific installations may change. The Piwakawaka Walk can be walked on its own or as part of the Methven Walkway. Brightly coloured wooden fantails are placed along the route in both directions. Its creation grew out of the community involvement of local families, artists, a playcentre, schools and residents of Methven Aged Care. Methven Skatepark has a large bowl, a mini-ramp and a street/transition area. Its features may change.

Local history and engineering

The New Zealand Alpine & Agriculture Encounter is an immersive visitor attraction in the centre of Methven. Another local theme is preserving New Zealand’s skiing history: the New Zealand Ski Memorabilia project was established in 2000 as part of the Methven Heritage Centre to preserve this history. In a notice dated 13 February 2025, the council stated that the heritage-listed RDR pump house is accessible to the local community and tourists via the Garden of Harmony. Check current access before your visit. The converted pump house is considered a unique engineering structure.

Regional context

Near Methven is Hakatere Conservation Park, with almost 60,000 hectares of rugged mountain country, tussock grassland, beech forest, and clear rivers and lakes. In the wider Ashburton District destination, the area of Awa Awa Rata Reserve is known as Mahitahi; it was a kāinga mahika kai, or food-gathering place.

Explore more destinations: Ashburton, Hinds, Mayfield, Mount Hutt

For the wider travel overview: Ashburton District.