Have you been on an adventure out to Pioneer Park? It’s one of those magic places you can visit for free (or camp very affordably), packed with native bush, birdsong, towering trees, and layered with stories from the early settler days. Just 32 km from Geraldine, this 390-hectare conservation area is tucked away off SH79 and makes for a perfect day trip or overnight camp. It’s a spot for walkers, history buffs, families, tree lovers, and anyone chasing a bit of nature-based reset. Dogs are allowed too—just keep them under control.
Tracks, Trees and Tents
There are two marked tracks at Pioneer Park, with walking times from 30 minutes up to two hours, depending on your energy (and your snack supply). It’s a great spot for spotting interesting trees, including the rare Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana), as well as native tōtara, broadleaf, cabbage trees, and stands of mānuka.
Camping is available too—there are 40 non-powered/tent sites. Bookings are required. There's a good sturdy shelter, tables, and plenty of space to unwind under the trees. Just be aware that the access road includes a ford, which is usually dry, but not ideal for very low-clearance vehicles.
Getting There
From Geraldine, follow SH79 (the Geraldine–Fairlie Highway) for 23 km. Turn onto Gudex Road, then take the next right into Middle Valley Road. Drive for another 2 km and you’ll reach the iron gates into Pioneer Park. Note that this section is gravel, so allow a little extra time.
From Timaru, you’ve got two scenic options. One is via Pleasant Point and Raincliff Bridge; the other takes you through Totara Valley via Cleland Road. Both routes wind past farmland, historic reserves, and big views of the Two Thumb Range. Look out for the Raincliff Scout Camp, the charming little St David’s Church (on land donated by Arthur Hope), and the fenced Māori rock art under a limestone overhang on Middle Valley Road—faint now, sadly, but still a sign of deep time.
A Landscape Steeped in Stories
Pioneer Park was named to honour the early families who settled in the district—“to commemorate the courage and forbearance of the early settlers.” The area has many links to those first arrivals.
You’ll pass through gates donated by the Burnett family in 1950 in memory of Thomas David Burnett M.P. (1877–1941) of Mount Cook Station: "A son of pioneer parents and a true lover of the great open spaces."
My parents were at that gate opening. It’s special to revisit, walk that same road, and remember.
Follow the tree-lined road and creek for 2 km, and you’ll pass through silver birches, oaks, willows, tall spruce and pines before reaching the picnic area and shelter. That shelter, built in 1941, was constructed from timber from the original Raincliff Station stable.
Keep going a little further and you’ll find a limestone-block structure protecting what remains of Burke’s hut—the original chimney from the house built in 1885. Burke was the first settler to drive a bullock cart over the pass into the Mackenzie Country. The limestone used to build the protective structure was salvaged from an old blacksmith’s forge in Totara Valley and the work was completed in 1974, thanks to the New Zealand Forest Service, the Historic Places Trust, and funds left by Major Percy Johnson. “Save the bush,” Percy Johnson once said. “It is the soul of the land.”
It really is. Pioneer Park is the kind of place where you can feel that connection—in the hush of the trees, the crunch of gravel underfoot, the soft wind through the canopy. It’s free to visit, rich with layers, and full of the kind of discoveries that stay with you.
