Twelve eager trampers were gathered at the meeting place as a thirteenth, the leader, rolled up on the dot of eight. Three cars parked at a spur just short of Camp Bay and the lucky thirteen walked from the gate up a minimal vehicle track. The track gives mighty views of Lyttelton Harbour and the plains and goes past some interesting crags.

It flattens at the 400m mark then steepens to climb to the 713m Mt Evans, an ideal spot for an early lunch. From Evans you get great views down to Port Levy and all around. After Canterbury’s quakes the interesting basalt slabs on the spur running SW had crashed into a big rubble heap which needed to be descended carefully. At point 594 we were tempted to follow a vehicle track but then realised its best to stay on the ridge. From there an obvious sheep track sidles below awkward scrub and crags. We descended the gully near Lions Head and walked down the road. Our three noble drivers walked quickly to Purau and then up the road to retrieve the cars so ten of us could dawdle to Purau picking blackberries from the roadside on the way. Our drivers were: Kevin Hughes, Mike Bourke and Gavin Chalk. Berry pickers were: Sue Britain, Heather Hughes, Hank Boer, Youmie Kim, Kyung Sang Lee, Jill Fenner, Wendy Templeton, Joy Schroeder, Dorota Giejsztowt, Kerry Moore (KM)