Lake Coleridge Lodge, High Country Retreat - Canterbury's best High Country Hospitality Venue

The Rakaia is the often reffered to as simply the best salmon river in New Zealand and some say it goes further than that but, we will let you be the judge of that one.

The salmon season peaks being the months of February and March.

The Rakaia is mighty and is very wide and highly braided over almost its entire 125 km length. This is an absolute perfect example of what a braided river is.

Access is good from either bank all the way back in to the Southern Alps giving plenty of room for anglers to find a perfect spot. Althougth if fishing the Rakai is your aim then we suggest an expert local fishing guide such as Robert at Peacful Adventure. Robert has fished the Rakaia all his life, has grown up viewing its changes each season and has probably the best knowledge around.

It is said that Twenty years ago it was almost unknown for anglers to fish for salmon above the Rakaia gorge but this is common. Still, Robert has known this for some time. The dry and dusty shingle riverbed often spans over a kilometre in width and is interrupted with slow flowing braids ranging from just a few inches to fast water several metres deep. Just perfect.

Although, you must always keep a constant lookout for any rise in the river level which could see you stranded in the middle of the river. Watch for sudden water discoloration that can herald a sudden flood. It is an incredible sight to see dirty brown water flowing from bank to bank across the entire length, something we witnessed for the first time in the Spring of 2008. The river changed in a day from being totally walkable from bank to bank to become a fast flowing torrent discharging the Spring rains and melting snow from the Alps. A Truly incredible sight.

Fishing is not the only attraction of the Rakaia, Jet Boating is a plenty from the George and if you are lucky there are always the odd private jet boat or two being launced at Coleridge Village, you may just hitch a ride, we have and what an awesome experience !

Come to Coleridge and enjoy this truly magnificant aspcet of New Zealands landscape.