Duncan Park 

Sunday 26 January 2025

The planned trip to Mt Alford was postponed due to forecast wet weather and so Plan B was a quick trip in the Port Hills, exploring some tracks around the Duncan Park area that some of the 15-strong party had not been on before.

Starting at 09:00 we went up the Duncan Park ridgeline via a walkway track, through some native bush in rather warm and humid conditions. As we climbed up the ridge, the low cloud over the Summit Road gradually thinned out and we had good views of Lyttelton Harbour and Christchurch City below. Once on the Summit Road, we soon reached the top of the Rapaki Track. A short distance down the track, we crossed a fence stile onto Jacks Track, before turning off and descending part of the Harakeke Track—where there has been planting of natives that seem to be doing well—and then along the Kotare Track, which led to the pylons on the Duncan Park ridge and back down to the cars around 1230. The trip down from the Summit Road was done in sunny and increasingly warm temperatures and we were back home before the afternoon rain arrived.  We were: Mike Bourke (leader), Sue Britain, Keith Hoard, Dorota Giejsztowt, Pat McIntosh, Derek Gane, Sha, Joy Schroeder, Chris Leaver, Sandra White, Doug Forster, Sue Hely, Merv Meredith, Glenda Meredith & John Skilton.    MB