Along the spine of Te Ahu Patiki

In running away from the rain I found myself back on the Banks Peninsula, because that little eastern volcanic outcrop seemed to be the only place on the South Island that would be precipitation free. I had devised a loop that would see me knock off a couple of huts, and get some awesome views as well.

The Summit Walkway, or Te Are Pataka, is a 35km route linking Gebbies Pass in the Lyttleton crater with Hilltop Tavern in the Akaroa Crater. It follows the crater ridgelines the whole way, but I was only doing a small section of it, mainly because I didn't want the hassle of organising transport between the two ends.

I drove up Kaituna Valley Road and parked at the end of the road. The road then becomes a private driveway past the last house along the road, and then continues as a 4WD track through private farmland as it climbs gradually up to the crater ridgeline.

From the top I turned right, heading towards Akaroa. After a couple of dips and climbs the path crossed the dirt road at Port Levy Saddle, where there is a carpark and pretty views down to the coast.

From the saddle there was another gentle climb and then a descent to a grassy meadow and the turnoff to Rod Donald Hut. The hut is downhill a few hundred metres and is owned by the Rod Donald Trust, a conservation group dedicated to revegetating the Banks Peninsula back to native forest. The hut is well appointed, has solar lighting, and a composting toilet.

The next morning I returned the way I had come. Back up the hill, past the cows, over Port Levy Saddle, and back to the turnoff, where I continued straight ahead to climb Te Ahu Patiki, also known as Mt Herbert. It's a pretty straight forward climb, and it doesn't take long to get to the summit with it's technology towers, and awesome views over Lyttleton Harbour.

Despite the proximity to civilisation and technology, the mobile coverage was surprisingly poor. This wouldn't normally concern me at all, but whilst I was happily tramping in NZ, my house in Geraldton was in the path of a Category 3 cyclone, and I was keen to keep in touch with my tenant as to the outcome of the storm.

It was fairly windy on the summit, so I didn't linger, instead heading down to the Mt Herbert shelter, where I had lunch and then continued on. The track sidles below the rocky Mt Bradley and is probably the most interesting part of the track as it weaves in and out through native vegetation.

The track then descends, via a number of switchbacks, through a lancewood forest, to Packhorse Hut. This is a lovely old stone hut and was a welcome respite from the wind. I shared the hut overnight with four lovely older Japanese women from Christchurch.

The women got up very early the next morning to climb Te Ahu Patiki for the sunrise. I slept in, enjoying the sunrise from the hut! Then I headed down the hill to Kaituna Valley Rd, and back up the road another 6km to my car.

At a loss as to where to go next, I rang my friend Alex, hoping she might be back in Methven after working on Waiheke Island over the summer. Unfortunately she wasn't, but she kindly offered me a bed in her little flat to use for a few days. So I drove to Methven to plan my next adventure....

Tramping amongst drowned volcanoes

For my first tramp of 2021 I walked The Banks Track. Mainly because it was the only part of the South Island that looked to be missing a weather bomb, but it had always been on my to do list. This is a private track, crossing private farmland and nature reserves, staying in prebooked accommodation each night, and having one's pack transported each day so you only need a small day pack. Luxury! And worth every cent. Being only one person, it wasn't hard to book a spot at short notice either...

Our group of 14, comprising 12 people walking for 3 days and 2 young whippersnappers doing it in 2 days, got picked up at the old Akaroa Post Office at 5:30pm. Prior to this we had to park our vehicles in a carpark at a lodge 20 minutes walk away up a hill. Although we wouldn't be staying at this lodge it was at the end of the track and provided fairly secure parking.

Our names were ticked off and we were given our little booklet with all the track notes and information we would need for our trip. Then we loaded our bags and ourselves into the minibus and headed south of town to Onuku Farm, where we stayed the first night. The Farm also provides accommodation for campers and has a hostel, but we were tucked away in our own area, where we all got to know each other over a few beverages watching the sunset over the harbour.

The next morning the keen and/or slow ones got going early, for the walk up through the farm to gain a ridgeline. It's a pretty rude start to walk through the farm gate and then start climbing steeply up a farm track. There are some detours off the track to viewpoints over the harbour, well worth it on such a spectacular day.

The ridge is then followed, passing onto the neighbour's farmland, up to the highest point on the track at 699m. Apparently you can see Mt Cook/Aoraki from there on a clear day.....

From the trig the track descends to the Flea Bay Road, which is followed for a kilometre or so before veering off into Tutakakahikura Reserve, remnant red beech forest with a lovely stream and waterfalls along it.

This is followed all the way to Flea Bay, the final section across farmland to our old farmhouse accommodation for the night. Our packs were there waiting for us, and the fridge was stocked with beer and wine for us to purchase, so it wasn't long before shoes and socks were shed and a cold beverage was in hand. I could get used to this type of tramping!

After a beverage or two and a hot shower, yes a hot shower!, I wandered down to the nearby beach. The tide was out and a couple of NZ fur seals were snoozing in a small cave at the far end.

That evening three of us wandered around to the farmhouse proper, and joined a fairy penguin tour led by the land owner, who has taken on the task of protecting the largest mainland colony of fairy penguins in NZ. His passion for these wee birds, and for conservation in general, is inspirational. We saw an adult penguin who was moulting, and two chicks in their nesting box, but we didn't see any penguins coming in from the sea.

The next morning a few of our crew went sea kayaking for the morning, whilst the rest of us headed off along the track. It's an easier day than the first day, mostly sidling high above the cliffs, with awesome views.

There is a cleverly constructed lunch shelter at Seal Cave, where I stopped for lunch and peaked over into the cave to see some seals. 

There are also a wonderful collection of bush toilets along this route. Lots of character with a good eye for a view, and a sense of humour!

Above Stony Bay the landowner has built a predator proof fence to protect the breeding site of Mutton Birds/Titi. This is now the only breeding site on the NZ mainland, as predators have wiped out all the others leaving the only options to be on offshore islands. The extent to which NZ's native fauna has been decimated by introduced mammals is only recently being addressed by increased government trapping and baiting programs, but the efforts of local landowners is massive as well. The original fence was a crude affair funded by a coalition of local farmers, the current one was funded by a national grant.

Stony Bay is picturesque, a tranquil little bay a long way from anywhere. Our accommodation is in a quirky little "village" of small huts, with an outdoor shower and wood fired baths. The shop is really well stocked and we had yet another wonderful evening, complete with outdoor campfire and a soak in the bath before bed.

I was last to leave the next morning, because I just didn't want to leave such an idyllic spot. It was drizzling, but not cold, perfect weather for a climb up the valley and through Hinewai Reserve to the tops of yet another extinct volcanic crater. The entire Banks Peninsula, including Lyttleton Harbour and the Port Hills southeast of Christchurch were once volcanoes, now extinct and inundated by the sea.

I met up with the rest of the group at the shelter on Tara Track. A respite from the cold wind outside and a welcome snack before tackling the steep descent to Akaroa. There's a side trip to Purple Peak, but with cloud obscuring any views I forwent that detour and continued along the main track back to the car.

As we descended below the clouds the views and weather improved. Back in Akaroa it was sunny and warm.

I had delicious fish and chips for lunch, picked up my pack from the storage room, and then drove back out to Onuku Farm to camp there a day or two, do some laundry, and plan my next adventure.

That's next..