Her presence is
powerful and poignant
powerful and poignant
On the threshold of Kahurangi National Park, the property comprises 30ha of native bush protected in perpetuity by a QE2 covenant.
About the Baton Valley
The valley is remote, wild and beautiful, comprising farmland, some pine plantation and pristine rivers flowing through abundant native bush.
It is difficult to establish if there was ever Māori occupation in the Baton Valley. It is unlikely, however undoubtedly tāngata whenua would have visited on hunting excursions.
Many people who spend time here speak of a distinctive energy — something ancient, powerful and difficult to explain. Perhaps it comes from the presence of Tuao Wharepapa, whose slopes conceal some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s deepest and longest cave systems, including Ellis Basin System, and Nettlebed-Stormy Pot.
It is difficult to establish if there was ever Māori occupation in the Baton Valley. It is unlikely, however undoubtedly tāngata whenua would have visited on hunting excursions.
Many people who spend time here speak of a distinctive energy — something ancient, powerful and difficult to explain. Perhaps it comes from the presence of Tuao Wharepapa, whose slopes conceal some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s deepest and longest cave systems, including Ellis Basin System, and Nettlebed-Stormy Pot.
The Baton Valley is a gateway to the wild beauty of Kahurangi National Park, with walking routes leading into the upper Baton Valley towards Flanagan’s Hut, and through the Ellis Valley to Ellis Hut beneath Tuao Wharepapa and the Mt Arthur Range.
There is plenty here to explore — walking, swimming and biking — but just as much invitation to do nothing at all. The valley offers an abundance of space, solitude and quiet, allowing you to settle into the landscape at your own pace.
The first cave in the Ellis Basin system was explored by cavers in 1969. Since then, around 33 kilometres of passageways have been mapped, descending to almost 1,000 metres below the surface. Exploration continues today, with cavers still discovering new passages and pushing into the unknown depths of this extraordinary subterranean world.
The valley also carries an extraordinary geological history. Fossils found in the Baton Valley date back to the Devonian Period, between approximately 417 and 354 million years ago — a reminder that the landscape beneath your feet belongs to a story far older than human memory.
Here, the ancient and the immediate exist side by side: mountain, forest, river, cave and sky. It is a landscape with deep time in its bones, offering both adventure and the rare luxury of profound quiet.
There is plenty here to explore — walking, swimming and biking — but just as much invitation to do nothing at all. The valley offers an abundance of space, solitude and quiet, allowing you to settle into the landscape at your own pace.
The first cave in the Ellis Basin system was explored by cavers in 1969. Since then, around 33 kilometres of passageways have been mapped, descending to almost 1,000 metres below the surface. Exploration continues today, with cavers still discovering new passages and pushing into the unknown depths of this extraordinary subterranean world.
The valley also carries an extraordinary geological history. Fossils found in the Baton Valley date back to the Devonian Period, between approximately 417 and 354 million years ago — a reminder that the landscape beneath your feet belongs to a story far older than human memory.
Here, the ancient and the immediate exist side by side: mountain, forest, river, cave and sky. It is a landscape with deep time in its bones, offering both adventure and the rare luxury of profound quiet.
It is summer
We go forth to the
valleys and rivers
and watch rain-drift
northwards
There’s fine music and
everything is
strong
Ah look
See the elements at work
Wind wild
See the speed of clouds
brushing hazy summits
or realise their absence
as rain wraps them
in silver
We go forth to the
valleys and rivers
and watch rain-drift
northwards
There’s fine music and
everything is
strong
Ah look
See the elements at work
Wind wild
See the speed of clouds
brushing hazy summits
or realise their absence
as rain wraps them
in silver
The Baton once had two hotels, a shop, post office and a racecourse. Gold digging was in full swing by 1859, with 100 or so diggers settled in the valley.
Most of the land in the valley is now still in the same families that have farmed here for three or four generations. The Baton House, on the adjacent property and visible as you drive toward the head of the valley, was built in 2010 as a replica of the original Baton Hotel which operated on this site in the 1860s gold mining era. The homestead, owned by a charitable trust, is used for hosting groups and educational events.
Read more: www.thebatonhouse.nz
Most of the land in the valley is now still in the same families that have farmed here for three or four generations. The Baton House, on the adjacent property and visible as you drive toward the head of the valley, was built in 2010 as a replica of the original Baton Hotel which operated on this site in the 1860s gold mining era. The homestead, owned by a charitable trust, is used for hosting groups and educational events.
Read more: www.thebatonhouse.nz
Location, map & directions
Travel times by car to Whetūrangi:
Allow 90 minutes from Nelson; 50 minutes from Motueka. The last 16km up the valley is on a winding, gravel road.
Coming from Richmond:
Take the coastal highway, go straight past the Mapua turnoff on right and at the top of the hill take Gardner Valley Road through to the Moutere (Inland) Highway and turn LEFT. Drive 1.6km and turn RIGHT onto Neudorf Road off the inland highway, and then turn RIGHT at the Dovedale Rd T intersection. Turn RIGHT onto the Motueka Hwy at Woodstock Junction, then cross the Baton Bridge 100m on your LEFT. Turn LEFT over the bridge and head up the Baton Valley Rd.
Coming from Christchurch or the West Coast:
Head north at Kohatu Junction on the Motueka Valley Highway, SH61. Drive 25.7km, through Tapawera, to the Baton Bridge (about 20 mins). Make sure you don’t take the Tapawera-Baton Road, as you’ll end up on the wrong side of the Baton River and it’s a lengthy detour - over an hour. Head left over the Baton Bridge, then LEFT up the valley.
Coming from Motueka:
Drive about 30km, half an hour, south from Motueka on the Motueka Valley Highway. Look out for the turn on the RIGHT taking you over the Baton Bridge. It is signposted to ‘Kahurangi National Park’ and ‘Baton Run Huts Haven’. Turn LEFT once you cross the bridge.
From the Baton Bridge it is about a 30 minute drive from the beginning of the gravel Baton Valley Road, and after passing a woolshed on your right and Lublows Leap, continue on up the long straight towards the mountains. Wind around a few bends and you will drive through a small stream which crosses the road, and you will then see an intersection and the Baton Ford (river crossing) in front of you. Don’t cross the river but head RIGHT up the Ellis Valley. Drive for about 1km, through a closed gate, and you will find the driveway up to Whetūrangi on your right.
Take the coastal highway, go straight past the Mapua turnoff on right and at the top of the hill take Gardner Valley Road through to the Moutere (Inland) Highway and turn LEFT. Drive 1.6km and turn RIGHT onto Neudorf Road off the inland highway, and then turn RIGHT at the Dovedale Rd T intersection. Turn RIGHT onto the Motueka Hwy at Woodstock Junction, then cross the Baton Bridge 100m on your LEFT. Turn LEFT over the bridge and head up the Baton Valley Rd.
Coming from Christchurch or the West Coast:
Head north at Kohatu Junction on the Motueka Valley Highway, SH61. Drive 25.7km, through Tapawera, to the Baton Bridge (about 20 mins). Make sure you don’t take the Tapawera-Baton Road, as you’ll end up on the wrong side of the Baton River and it’s a lengthy detour - over an hour. Head left over the Baton Bridge, then LEFT up the valley.
Coming from Motueka:
Drive about 30km, half an hour, south from Motueka on the Motueka Valley Highway. Look out for the turn on the RIGHT taking you over the Baton Bridge. It is signposted to ‘Kahurangi National Park’ and ‘Baton Run Huts Haven’. Turn LEFT once you cross the bridge.
From the Baton Bridge it is about a 30 minute drive from the beginning of the gravel Baton Valley Road, and after passing a woolshed on your right and Lublows Leap, continue on up the long straight towards the mountains. Wind around a few bends and you will drive through a small stream which crosses the road, and you will then see an intersection and the Baton Ford (river crossing) in front of you. Don’t cross the river but head RIGHT up the Ellis Valley. Drive for about 1km, through a closed gate, and you will find the driveway up to Whetūrangi on your right.
Please drive slowly and carefully on the gravel road, it is narrow and winding in places, 30km/h is recommended.
Queries/Emergencies : Ange Palmer - 0211 450 334
*Note that whilst there is no reliable cell phone reception in the valley our internet is very reliable and allows for easy contact using wifi-based platforms e.g. WhatsApp and Messenger, and 'wi-fi calling'.