New Zealand Tourism Online

Canterbury Tourist Information, New Zealand

Welcome to Springfield Visitor Information Buro & Station73 Café

Springfield Visitor Information Buro was opened June 2003 at the Springfield Railway Station (a heritage building) as a private enterprise.

Our friendly staff enjoy introducing visitors to our region and look forward to helping you with your bookings for local activities, ensure your personal accommodation requirements are met or help plan your travel through the Great Alpine Highway, SH73.

Springfield is a great first stop when heading west from Christchurch or to plan your travel when heading east, north or south.

The infamous Tranz Alpine Train arrives at Springfield Railway Station 9:10 am from Christchurch and onto Greymouth daily, returning at 5:15 pm. Book your train journey with us and you can leave your car or campervan here at the station for your day or overnight excursion. Phone +64 3 318 4000 or email info@springfieldinformation.co.nz.

The Railway Station building also includes the Station73 Café with fresh homemade baking including our famous Tranz Alpine muffins, slices and scones, great coffee, and other refreshments. Please see below our catering or group function options.

Our retail area displays the local quality handcrafts and New Zealand made products, along with travel maps, railway books, postcards, film etc. Learn about the local history and heritage of the Midland Railway Line with the display of the memorabilia and photos which line the walls.

Come and sit for a while and enjoy the tranquil surroundings and magnificent views of the Torlesse Range!

Summer Hours – October – April:

Open Daily: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Closed on Christmas Day

Winter Hours – May – September:

Open Daily: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday: 8:30 am – 9:30 am Train only

For further information about Springfield, the region or New Zealand information, please phone +64 3 318 4000, or email info@springfieldinformation.co.nz.

Springfield, Canterbury

Once named Kowai Pass, Springfield is now recognised as "The Gateway to the Alps"—and it is certainly this and more, as it nestles into the foothills of the majestic Torlesse Range and Southern Alps.

You reach Springfield by following The Great Alpine Highway, SH73, or on the Midland Railway Line with the Tranz Alpine Train, en route between the East and West coast of the South Island. Springfield is situated 68 kilometres West of Christchurch and around 200 kilometres east of Greymouth and Hokitika.

It is the last or first stop for petrol, food, and refreshments, depending on direction of travel, through the Southern Alps. Springfield is a great first night stay after arriving in Christchurch or last night before your departure from the east coast city, with being only 50 minutes drive away.

The permanent population is around 300 people, taking in the surrounding area. Sheep farming is the main industry, however tourism is growing with an array of activities as well as comfortable and affordable accommodation places—all offering awe inspiring views and diverse landscapes.

Accommodation:

• Smylies Accommodation—YHA and Motel
• Springfield Motel & Holiday Lodge
• Springfield Hotel—en suite rooms and backpacker
• Bahara Accommodation B&B and Motel
• Benmore Cottage
• Kowai Bush Retreat
• Smallfield Cottage
• Waddington Villa—Homestay, within half-hour drive
• The Oaks Historic Homestead, within half-hour drive
• Millwall House, within half-hour drive

Activities:

• Waimak Alpine Jet
• Southern Alps Jet
• Rubicon Valley Horsetreks
• Rubicon Valley Tourist Centre—farm show
• Chill—ski pass
• Porters, Mt Cheeseman, Mt Olympus, Broken River, Cragieburn, Temple Basin skifields
• Tranz Alpine train journey
• 4WD adventures
• Tours and transport

Phone +64 3 318 4000 or email info@springfieldinformation.co.nz for bookings or enquiries.

Springfield boasts having one of New Zealand's latest national parks, the Korowai/Torlesse Tussocklands Park being only 10 minutes drive from the township, as well as the famous Castle Hill Rocks, (Kura Tawhiti) for world class rock climbing and bouldering; a choice of five skifields; the Craigieburn Forest Park for wonderful walks and mountain biking; and then of course Arthur's Pass National Park with a magnitude of day walks and overnight tramping.

Springfield is also the closet town to the "Land of Narnia" with the battle scene for the movie "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" being filmed near here. Many of the film crew lived in the town while the film was in production. This is all within an hours drive of the township.

Be sure to pick up your maps, Canterbury tourist information and supplies from our Springfield tourist information centre, Springfield Railway Station, King Street (follow the 'I' signs from SH73), before heading along the Great Alpine Highway, SH73 to explore these wilderness parks.

What else to See, Do in the Region

B&B's, luxury lodges, lodges, historic homesteads, farmstay, self contained country cottages, hotel, self contained units, backpackers, YHA—plus cafes, restaurants, wineries, bakeries, service centres and then there is—cycling, horse trekking, jet boating, 4wd safaris, mountain biking, skiing, farm shows, fishing, art and craft galleries, golf, forest and bush walks, Rewi Alley memorial, rock climbing, bouldering, train journey, national parks, lakes, rivers, mountains, Tolkien landscapes, caves—and more!!!

Be sure look out for the Great Alpine Highway Brochure—your personal guided tour on SH73—at any Visitor Information Centres and I Sites!

You could spend days here exploring and taking in all that the area has to offer.

For further information about the Great Alpine Highway Region, please visit www.thegreatalpinehighway.co.nz or email info@greatalpinehighway.co.nz.

Food and Catering

Picnic Lunches – Before you head into the mountains order your scrummy gourmet lunch to take with you from Station73 Café.

Choose from our ham, chicken or vegetarian salad roll accompanied by a fresh baked muffin, sweet slice and bottled water for NZ$15.00. Order 24 hours before pick up by phone or fax. We require payment when you order. Phone +64 3 318 4000 for more information.

Catering, Private Functions, Tour Groups – Station73 Café can cater for up to 35 people in one sitting for morning and afternoon teas, lunches or early evening meals.

If you have a special occasion or a group we can work a menu to suit your requirements and budget. In the past we have worked with a couple of tour companies calling in here for lunch, as well as morning and afternoon teas either on their way to West Coast or back through to Christchurch.

We have also catered for buffet dinners for birthday parties, Christmas dinners, and staff functions. We are happy to work with you and make your function a success. All our food is prepared and cooked on site and we pride ourselves with the freshest ingredients.

The history, with photos on the walls and stories of old are popular with our visitors along with magnificent views, peaceful surroundings and the passing trains. Please phone for menus +64 3 318 4000, or email info@springfieldinformation.co.nz.

Local History

Once a coal town with two mines open during the 1870s, Springfield boasted seven shops and a Bank of New Zealand. The railway arrived in Springfield in 1880 and the Midland Railway Line's access to the coast didn't break through until the opening of the Otira Tunnel in the 1920s.

As this line was built in stages it enabled the Cobb and Co Stage coach, owned by Cassidy and Young to be based here for 50 years. This service carried on from where the train stopped for passengers, mail and freight through hardy conditions of floods and hair raising descents through the Alps to Hokitika during the gold mining days.

The opening of the Otira Tunnel saw an increase in rail traffic and up to 70 rail staff were based in Springfield for many years. During this time the introduction of the KB steam engines was evident with six engines being specifically built for this section of track between Springfield and Arthur's Pass. They were the strongest engines built in the steam era.

Today the Midland Line is World famous for the Tranz Alpine Journey and stops in at the Springfield Railway Station daily to welcome people on board before following the spectacular Waimakariri Gorge and on to Greymouth.

The Station was once the refreshment stop for thousands of passengers passing through Springfield. Remember the great railways pie or fruit cake and tea or coffee served up in the thick "never to break" railway cups. Even Rosie the old English sheep dog would come and meet the passengers for her daily pie.

The Waimakariri River has been used over the years for recreation including the early trials of Sir William Hamilton's jetboat in the early 1950s and is still widely used today with jet boating tours heading up the spectacular Waimak Gorge along with fishing, and the kayaking leg of the infamous Coast to Coast Event.

What Else is Happening?

Steam Train Excursion – Steam Excursions travel through on the Midland Line, Christchurch—Arthur's Pass and Greymouth via Springfield during the winter months.

Tranz Alpine Train – Daily—except Christmas day. Recognised as one of the six best train journeys in the world. Departs Daily from Springfield 9:15 am and return 5:15 pm. Enquire about prices and book through us here at the Springfield Visitor Information Buro, phone +64 3 318 4000 or email info@springfieldinformation.co.nz.

Film Makers Paradise – Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe directed by Andrew Adamson are just a couple of films using our magnificent scenery and landscapes.

Annual Events

Coast to Coast Event – Test your skill and fitness from the west coast through to the east coast. A one or two day event—depending on your fitness by cycling, running and kayaking through some of New Zealand's most rugged landscapes. Held February each year.

Fishing and Hunting – Salmon—November – March; Trout—October – March; Duck—May – July; Goose—May – September; Quail—May – August; Deer and Pigs—Open year round.

Farming – Harvest—January – March; Lambing—August – November.

Skiing – June – October.

Boating – Year round.

If you require more information about our Springfield, Canterbury tourist information or need to make bookings for any of the above, please email info@springfieldinformation.co.nz, we will reply to you shortly!

From Our Visitors Book

"Nice to see the tearooms open again"

Tom Ferguson, Springfield, Canterbury

"Great Coffee, very friendly"

Trisha Pannell, Australia

"Beautiful pies & cookies, wonderful coffee. Awesome company! Thank you very much"

Wei Choong, Singapore

"Thanks for excellent information & advice"

D & D Brennan, UK

"A wonderful restoration & preservation of the refreshment rooms, keep it up"

John & Cathryn Fitzgerald, Hamilton, New Zealand

"Great! The best thing about Springfield! Very cool"

Julie, Graham, Arlene, Auckland, Raglan, New Zealand

"Great to see where Grandmother was born. Lovely place"

Margaret Penth, WA, Australia

"Your hospitality was superb"

Peter Kitchin, Dominion Post Readers Railway Tour

"I have just returned from the Tranz Alpine train trip which stopped at Springfield, where I purchased one of your muffins. Now, I am not sure if it was the picture perfect scenery and snow that made me giddy, but your muffins were the MOST GORGEOUS addition to the trip. Thank you so much for being the wonderful baker that you are."

Yvonne Huggett, Senior Credit Controller, TNT Express

If you require more information about our Springfield, Canterbury tourist information or need to make bookings for any of the above, please email info@springfieldinformation.co.nz, we will reply to you shortly!

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