Peak Hill Plus

28 April 2019

It was a clear day as we exited the cars, booted-up in a brisk wind and made our way up the track on a tussocky, scrubby hillside. As we reached the ridge and got views of the full extent of Lake Coleridge, the wind was strong enough to make any loose clothing flap noisily.

A quick consultation resulted in a unanimous decision to retreat and find something else to do. That something became Rakaia Gorge Walkway. The river was quite high and very milky. In the photos, it’s almost the same shade as the greywacke stones that line it. We enjoyed views and the mixture of vegetation. I hope the sycamore, cherry and cotoneaster will eventually be suppressed, though I have to admit their falling yellow leaves was a novelty in a NZ bush walk. Cramming two walks into our day got us back to Christchurch at about 7pm.

Thanks go to Alison for leading, and even making a preliminary visit to Peak Hill to check it out.

We were: Alison MacColl (leader), Graham Townsend, Chris Leaver, Shi Ping Wang, John Robinson