Quick guide to Cass Field Station
| Cass field station | |
| Location | 106 km west of Christchurch in the Southern Alps. View in Google Maps |
| Accommodation | 43 beds across 9 bunkrooms |
| Facilities |
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About the Cass Mountain Research Area
The Cass Mountain Research Area (CMRA) is a 1,775-hectare research landscape owned and managed by the University of Canterbury in the upper Waimakariri catchment of the central South Island.
Located near Arthur’s Pass, the area encompasses two prominent peaks, Cass Hill (1,098 m) and Sugarloaf (1,359 m), along with river terraces, alluvial fans and a remarkable diversity of mountain environments.
From alpine slopes and scree fields to beech forest, wetlands, streams, grasslands and braided river habitats, the CMRA contains an exceptional range of ecosystems within a relatively compact area.
This diversity makes it an ideal outdoor laboratory for research, teaching and long-term environmental monitoring.
The wider upper Waimakariri Basin is one of New Zealand’s most diverse mountain landscapes, shaped by active geological processes and the dynamic interactions of rivers, glaciers, tectonic uplift and erosion.
Within a relatively small area, students and researchers can access braided rivers, alluvial fans, river terraces, alpine and subalpine environments, wetlands, beech forests and mountain ranges.
This exceptional diversity of landforms, habitats and ecological gradients makes Cass an ideal location for teaching and research, allowing learners to investigate environmental processes and ecological patterns firsthand while providing a natural laboratory for studies ranging from geology and geomorphology to ecology, hydrology, conservation and climate change.
Few locations in New Zealand offer such a rich setting for field-based teaching, interdisciplinary research and long-term environmental monitoring.
A long history of research and teaching
For more than a century, students and researchers have used Cass to investigate ecological processes, biodiversity, conservation, land management and environmental change.
The area's varied habitats support studies ranging from alpine ecology and freshwater science to ecosystem restoration and climate change impacts.
Today, the Cass Mountain Research Area remains one of New Zealand's most significant university-owned field research sites, providing opportunities for discovery, hands-on learning and environmental stewardship in the heart of the Southern Alps.
The history of the field station and the surrounding district is documented in CASS: History and Science in the Cass District, Canterbury, New Zealand (1977), edited by C.J. Burrows.
Contact the Field Facilities Centre
For any enquiries, please contact the Field Facilities Manager.
