Country Calendar Comes Calling…
When Hyundai Country Calendar arrived at Quartz Hill Station, it wasn’t just to film the expansive skies, stock work, and the daily rhythm of a Canterbury high-country family. The episode highlighted a new chapter on the station: the development of RockRidge, a multi-day hiking experience that transforms working farmland into an immersive high-country adventure.
We introduced Dan and Gee Harper
Quartz Hill Station is a third-generation property in the foothills of inland Canterbury, now owned, farmed and hosted by Dan and Georgie (Gee) Harper and their young family. Their days juggle stock work, cropping decisions, parenting and hosting visitors who come to experience life on a modern, progressive station that is firmly focused on the next generation.
Dan’s farming story began in Hawke’s Bay, continued at Lincoln University, included overseas seasons on big machinery, and returned home with fresh ideas and Gee by his side. Gee grew up with Quartz Hill in her blood, and together they’ve expanded the operation to span several properties and a mix of enterprises that reflect both tradition and innovation.
Showcased Quartz Hill Station: a modern high-country business
Quartz Hill is far more than a postcard landscape; it is a complex business running around 29,000 stock units across sheep, beef, deer, dairy support and a diverse range of crops, including cereals and specialist seeds. The Harpers have positioned the station at the forefront of technology and sustainability, including premium programmes such as Lumina lamb that reward careful breeding, feeding and finishing.
Diversification for Quartz Hill has also meant leaning into on-farm experiences and niche, high-value markets rather than relying solely on commodity returns. This mindset—leveraging the land's strengths to tell a richer story and reach multiple markets—is what ultimately set the stage for RockRidge.
The spark that became RockRidge
We shared our story of where the idea of RockRidge was born, between two neighbouring high-country families—the Harpers from Quartz Hill Station and the McElreas from Birchview Farm and Washpen Falls—and how we discovered a shared vision while fundraising for our local country school in Windwhistle. Those conversations grew into a bold “yes”: create a purpose-built, multi-day trail that links their farms and opens the high country to walkers in a way that respects farm operations, history and ecology.
Turning the idea into reality meant carving a roughly 31 km track across two working high-country properties, using expert trail design to highlight natural features, viewpoints and stories that would otherwise be hidden from the road. The project demanded years of planning, fence-line decisions and literal blood, sweat and blisters from both our families.
Diversifying the land, honouring the legacy
RockRidge is a textbook example of diversification done with intent: one landscape, multiple complementary income streams and a shared commitment to leaving the land better than it was found. Quartz Hill continues to produce premium beef, venison and Lumina lamb, while Birchview has developed accommodation and grown Washpen Falls into a stand-alone walking attraction, with RockRidge tying the threads together through an immersive high-country journey.
For Dan and Gee, diversification isn’t about turning their back on farming; it is about adding layers of resilience and storytelling to the station’s core business so that future generations have more options, not fewer. The Country Calendar episode captured this crossroads moment, showing a family and a landscape embracing change while holding tight to the values that have sustained them for decades.
So there you have it, you can watch the full episode here, thanks to the Country Calendar crew.
Have a burning question or would like to talk in person to the people behind RockRidge then please reach out at hello@rockridge.nz or follow their journey on @rockridge.nz