ABOUT LIVING SPRINGS

Living Springs is a place that inspires, refreshes and allows people to gather and experience life together away from the city. Built in the 1970s, Living Springs has hosted and organised holiday camps, school camps, community and church camps, youth camps, corporate events, weddings and many more events for over four decades.

The Founding Families – Peter and Anne Morrow, David and Eddie Down, Roger and Val Roxburgh gave up so much to see their visions and dreams become a reality. From the start, Living Springs has been an independent charitable trust and continues to this day to fulfil the mission ‘To create high quality environments where people have experiences that enrich them as human beings, enable them to grow stronger together and inspire them to live life to the full.’

Set on 350ha of native bush and rural farmland that spans from the crater rim to the foreshore of Lyttelton Harbour, Living Springs offers so many opportunities to engage at every level with nature. From enjoying the view and stunning sunrise, to Adventure Stream, Rogaine, Initiatives or swimming in the indoor heated swimming pool onsite. Your senses will be delighted and revitalised with the sound of Bellbirds, fresh air, starry nights, and invigorating activities. Combined with good food and warm comfortable accommodation your event will be a memorable experience.

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OUR ENVIRONMENT

Set within 350 hectares overlooking Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour, Living Springs is committed to restoring and protecting the natural environment. What began with the Allandale Stream Restoration Programme in 2011 has grown into an ambitious conservation programme, with a vision to create an eco-sanctuary where native wildlife can thrive and people can connect with nature.

Over the past 15 years, our environmental work has expanded considerably. The Allandale Stream Restoration Programme was followed by native planting initiatives and the development of Predator Free Allandale, bringing neighbouring landowners together to restore biodiversity across the wider catchment.

In 2021, Living Springs partnered with Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke and Conservation Volunteers New Zealand through the He Rau Ringa e Oti Ai programme, supported by the Department of Conservation’s Jobs for Nature funding. This partnership accelerated restoration efforts across Whakaraupō, combining ecological restoration with mātauranga Māori and a shared commitment to the health of the harbour and its surrounding landscapes.

Today, more than 78,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses have been planted at Living Springs, alongside the establishment of an extensive predator control network and growing community involvement. This work is helping native vegetation and wildlife recover, laying the foundations for the next chapter.

Our vision is to create a camp within an eco-sanctuary. Following a positive feasibility study, Living Springs is progressing plans for a 220-hectare predator-proof fenced sanctuary, creating opportunities to reintroduce native species that have long been absent from the area. It is an exciting step towards a place where conservation, education and recreation come together, inspiring future generations to care for the natural world.

FACILITIES & ACCOMMODATION

OUR LOCATION

218 Bamfords Road, Allandale, RDI Lyttelton 8971

Ph +64 3 329 9788 | info@livingsprings.co.nz

For further information about our grounds and facilities, please download our map below.

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TESTIMONIALS

We receive many glowing testimonials from our camp attendees. Here is a small sample of what they say...

We just love hosting our annual Women's Yoga Retreat at Bellbird Height Living Springs. The venue is so conducive to 'getting away from town', connecting with nature and dropping into a calmer and more relaxed space. It is such a peaceful place with stunning views and the sound of birdsongs. The food has always been great and the staff couldn't be more helpful. I would highly recommend Living Springs as a venue for your event.

Jo McHarg

The Yoga Place

Harmony Church recently held a two day staff retreat at Living Springs up in Bellbird Heights. The communication from the LS team was excellent, friendly, and helpful. They were flexible with some of our requests which made it a lot easier for our planning and the success of our days. Not only is it a stunning location, but the facilities were completely suitable for our needs, clean and comfortable. We also got to enjoy the stunning outdoor’s with some great team building exercises led by the LS’s team which were a lot of fun. It was a memorable and worthwhile stay. I would highly recommend for groups of all shapes and sizes.

Catherine Hoekendijk – Senior Pastor

Harmony Church

We had a fantastic time at Living Springs for our Senior managers Getaway. It provided the perfect setting for our Strategic Senior Conference. The venue and food was excellent. The Rogain was both challenging for some and fun for others, interesting to see the competitiveness coming out in the team.

It provided a very comfortable setting and plenty of room for breakaways. I had a lot of excellent feedback from the team of 45 on the setting, especially from the out of towner’s, they were blown away with the bush, setting and views. You do have a very special place there. Nga mihi nui

Michael Fulton

Fulton Hogan

Living Springs offered New Zealand Red Cross the perfect venue to gather volunteers, members, and staff from across the country for a multi-day training session. Everyone was delighted by the incredible natural surroundings of our training room at Bellbird Heights, the recreational facilities made our downtime especially fun and great for team bonding, and the LS staff were wonderful to work alongside from start to finish to plan the logistics of the training. We cannot wait to be back and would recommend it to any other organisation in a heartbeat!”

Stephanie Keller-Busque

Red Cross

Kia Ora! We love coming to Living Springs. We come every year and camp up in the bush camp. We are free to manage our own schedule or have as much or little catered, organised or instructed by their staff. It gives us flexibility for numbers, ages, ability and cost. Our students get to experience things they never have before like tree climbing, slip’n’slide, low ropes, archery and more. The crown in the jewel of Living Springs is the staff. They show manaakitanga (hospitality) for all of us, but especially our staff and they make us feel at home away from home. They bend over backwards to accomodate us and keep us happy.