Mt Oxford to Ryde Falls

I decided to put a trip up on Thursday. The weather forecast for the weekend wasn’t great, so it was a big surprise when another 15 trampers signed up. We started off at Cooper’s Creek….


Sylvia Tops and Devils Den Biv

Sylvia Tops is a lesser-known route that leads up to the ridges of Lewis Pass. It is very similar to Lewis Tops Track – it also goes steeply up through the bush until it reaches…




Snowy Mt Somers in the summer

The original plan was to go to Mt Bruce. I was checking the weather during the week and it slowly deteriorated. Even on Saturday night, it was looking acceptable but then when I woke up…


Travers Peak to Trovatore in Lewis Pass

We left Christchurch at 7 AM. It’s about 2.5h drive to Deer Valley campsite. Next time, I would consider leaving even earlier.Foleys Track up to Trovatore is in pretty good shape. There are no markers…


Castle Hill Peak, summer 2023

We left Christchurch at 7 AM which seemed appropriate on a hot summer day. Andrew showed up with a 7-seater which wasn’t a bad fit for 7 trampers! Thanks, Andrew, you made the trip very…


Mt Bruce exploration journey

My friend Frysak came to visit Aotearoa for a year. My son, partner, and I were hosting him in Christchurch during his first week and soon I thought it was about time to take him…