Charing Cross

6 October 2019

The cars crossed the Hurunui River bridge took the first left through Eyrewell Forest, and kept driving straight all the way to Cascade Creek, near where it joins the Pahau River. We were able to park through a gate, off the road, then, booted-up, climb a winding vehicle track topped with coarse limestone gravel. The area seems to have fine and coarse-grained igneous rock and limestone and has been well studied by geologists. (Click here for Geology notes.)

Near the 1000m top we went off-track to get onto a useful spur. We had lunch on the peak amidst little patches of snow piled on the south side of tussocks. To the north we could see snow-capped Mount Tekoa and Te Kooti beckoning. Half our group went back the way we’d come and the rest went down the spur that leads to Point 759, getting to the Cascade Valley floor, for a flat walk to the cars. By chance the groups arrived within minutes of each other.

This was an enjoyable 670m easy-moderate climb on a perfect blue-sky day. We were: Jill Fenner (leader) Helen Harkness, Katie Nimmo, Donna Wisby, Dan Pryce, Shi-Ping Wang, Sacha Baldwin, Tim Hines, Andrea Goebel, Joy Schroeder, Diane Dixon, Graeme Nicholas, Peter Umbers, John Robinson, Kerry Moore. KM