Ashburton Bella Vista

Introducing your hosts, Paul & Michelle 

Michelle and Paul warmly welcome you to Bella Vista Ashburton, where we and our dedicated team strive to ensure you are comfortable and have everything you need while away from the home.   Paul is a keen fisherman and knows the best fishing spots, enjoys a motorbike ride and jumping off hillsides- paragliding.  Michelle lives and breathes for the Great Outdoors, loves a challenge or two competing in adventure racing, mountain biking, tramping and rogaining. 

On your arrival you will be welcome with authentic rural town friendless, a helpful I can do approach and together they love to share their knowledge of Mid Canterbury with you. 

Ashburton, Canterbury - Your Destination 

Ashburton is considered the heart of Mid-Canterbury: Hakatere.  It is the bustling hub of Mid-Canterbury known as the South Island “food basket” for Maori Iwi who came here to hunt and gather food. Nothing has changed! 

The town is the center of an agricultural and pastoral farming district on the tapestry like Canterbury plains. From the moment you arrive you’ll be near the Ashburton town center for business, high quality shopping, eclectic cafes and restaurants. Other points of interest would be the Aviation Museum, Trotts Garden, Ashburton Domain, The River Mountain bike track and Lake Hood. For the more adventurous, right on our doorstep is Mt Sunday, the location for Lord of the Rings. Mount Hutt Ski Field is Canterbury’s very own big mountain and only 55 minutes’ drive from Ashburton. Mount Hutt Bike Park offers several trails for different levels of riding. The popular Opuke Hot Pools, ice-skating rink at Staveley and Mt Somers walkway are a must do. The drive up to Hakatere Conservation Park or Rakia Gorge is also spectacular with plenty to see. 

Ashburton is a great location to stop and stay as its very central and not far to your next adventure. Break the journey with us in Mid Canterbury. We are just 1 hour drive south of Christchurch International Airport. 

Our Community Involvement 

Michelle is a member of the Tourism Advisory group helping the Ashburton council and Experience Mid-Canterbury boost the local economy and enhance the community, working on more collaboration to promote the district. Bella Vista was a finalist in the Ashburton Business of the Year awards in 2022, celebrating business in Mid-Canterbury and getting recognition for the hard work and excellence in running a small business. 

We provide various different sponsorship to our community and free accommodation, such as that given to support the Glow in the Park Ashburton event and the Ashburton A&P Show. 

We are committee members for the Clearwater and Lake Hood Aquatic Club where we support our daughter in water-skiing competitions and help with running the event on the day, often donating a room giveaway for national tournaments. We support the local Ashburton Golf club and hold golf tokens for Ahsburton Bella Vista guests to collect, so they can have a swing at the driving range. 

Our Sustainability Practices 

At Bella Vista Ashburton we aim to reduce our impact on the environment, it’s the right thing to do, so it’s preserved for future generations. As a part of this community, we want to actively contribute and play our part in protecting our environment. 

We proudly operate our business in a way that considers our responsibilities to sustainable tourism and committing to the Tiaki Promise. We do this by striving to minimize and reduce energy consumption, reduce chemical use, remove plastic bags, recycle as much as we can and remove food waste from going to land fill. 

You can help by supporting our towel change agreement, switching off lights, heating and TV’s when you are leaving. We give you the opportunity to separate your rubbish and recycle by using the bins in your rooms or by the cloths line, thus reducing the amount of waste going to landfills. 

We hope to soon have a better food waste management system with the help of the Ashburton Council, so watch this space.  We use bathroom amenities and corn starch bin liners that truly are an environmental solution to the problem of single use plastics. 

Managing our company’s Carbon Footprint and reducing carbon emissions is a commitment to a sustainable future and reaching our goal of being carbon neutral and the most sustainable and environmentally motel in Ashburton. Measuring our footprint helps us understand what is creating carbon output and allows us to think of ways to reduce it. I’m now discovering which parts of my business have the highest impact and comparing results over time. 

Part of our commitment is to provide a healthier, safer environment for our guests by eliminating up to 90% of chemicals through the ENJO cleaning system. These products last well, reducing plastic bottles sitting around and a build up off chemicals used in the rooms. We're very proud that we have invested in a quality product and has lest impact on our environment and health. 

Bella Vista Ashburton is a 4 star Qualmark rated property and awarded Silver status under the Sustainable Tourism Business criteria which is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Founded in 2007, the GSTC is a United Nations-initiated programme which sets the global baseline standards for sustainable travel and tourism.

We look forward to hosting you.