The Ahuriri Valley (pronounced A-hu-riri) is a dramatic landscape of rugged mountain country, wetlands, tussock lands and beech forest.

Within the valley lies the Ahuriri Conservation Park expanding over 49,000 hectares.Spectacular scenery and ease of access makes the valley & conservation park a popular destination for recreation. From The Lindis, you will often see local fishermen fishing for trout in the summer months with the river being a famous fly fishing spot.

The Lindis lodge is located on Ben Avon Station, occupying over 6000 acres within the Ahuriri Valley.Longslip Station our neighbouring working farm, run merino sheep and angus bulls, using Ben Avon to graze. Be careful of wandering stock when out and about!

The Ahuriri valley is named after the Ngāi Tahu chief, Tu Ahuriri. Maori used the valley as a route to the West Coast (for collecting greenstone/pounamu) and travelled via Canyon Creek, Hunter valley and Hāwea (although the easier route over Lindis Pass was preferred).

In the late 1800s there were three pastoral lease runs within the Ahuriri valley; Birchwood, Ben Avon and Longslip stations. In 1873 the high-country run called Birchwood was farmed and described as being ‘more suitable for keas than sheep’. The Birchwood run had been managed by a succession of runholders when Edgar Williamson took control of the lease in 1942.

In 1951 the Williamson family purchased Birchwood with Ron & Jennifer Williamson continuing the farming legacy. In 2004 the station was bought by the Nature Heritage Fund to protect the natural landscape and secure public access up the valley.