Living in Christchurch and using it as our base to explore the incredible country of New Zealand we were desperate to get out and experience the incredible scenery. Working and saving for our road trip around the country we were itching to explore, so we began searching for the best Christchurch walks and happened upon Rakaia Gorge. This incredible icy blue river carved into the rugged scenery of Canterbury with the snow-capped Mt Hutt in the background was all we had ever dreamt of when we first imagined our time in New Zealand. The Rakaia Gorge being only an hour from the city has to be the best day trip from Christchurch offering an incredible 10km hike through real alpine scenery so close to the city. This area is also known for the ski field at Mt Hutt but this is also one of the many other great things to do in Methven.