Molesworth Station is the biggest farm in New Zealand, a vast stretch of high country in the north-east of the South Island covering over a hundred thousand hectares, and the cob cottage is one of its oldest buildings. It is a simple, thick-walled hut built of earth, in the style that early settlers brought from England, and it stands in a landscape of brown hills, braided rivers and enormous sky. The station is owned by the Crown and run as a working cattle farm, and it is managed with conservation in mind, so the grasslands, wetlands and wildlife are protected. The buildings are few and far between, and the sense of emptiness is overwhelming.
The road through the station, Molesworth Road, is a long, unsealed track of about 200 kilometres that links Hanmer Springs and the Awatere valley, and it has the reputation of being one of the great gravel roads in the country. It is open only in the warmer months, usually from late October to just before Easter, and it closes in winter when snow and floods make it impassable. The track passes through gates and across fords, and the gravel can be loose, corrugated and dusty, so a rider needs good tyres, a calm head and a lot of patience. There is a fee to use the road, and rules about not stopping to camp except in designated places, so check the current conditions before you go.
The cottage is a good place to stop and look around. It is built of cob, a mix of earth, straw and water, and has walls so thick that the rooms inside stay cool in summer and warm in winter. Beyond it, the valley opens into wide, tawny plains, with mountains rising on every side and herds of cattle moving slowly across the pasture. Hawks and falcons circle overhead, and in the evening the light turns the hills gold.
Blenheim, in the north, and Hanmer Springs, in the south, are the nearest places for fuel and supplies, and they are a long way from the middle of the track. Tell someone your plans, since mobile coverage is absent, and take a few spare hours, because it will take longer than you think.