Step out into the landscape and follow your curiosity. A shorter loop trail begins by your lodge, guiding you past storytelling panels that reveal the histories, ecology and natural character of this remarkable place. For those wanting to go further, a guided hike leads across the high terraces to the Te Kōhai / Maryburn Drylands — a vast expanse where native plants, wind and light define the rhythm of the land.

Stargazing here is unforgettable. In the heart of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, the heavens stretch wide and clear — a canopy of countless stars, the Milky Way bright enough to cast a shadow and at times, the soft glow of the southern lights. It’s where the vastness of the day continues above you — infinite, brilliant and still.