Lewis Pass


Nina Valley Campsite with kids

We had originally planned to go to Nina Hut, but, you know, when you walk with kids, you need to be flexible. We started at Palmer Lodge, and it soon became clear that this was…


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…


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…


Lake Man

I put this last-minute CTC trip up on Thursday afternoon. The long weekend was ahead and I thought that 2 long days out could suit some folks better than 3 standard days. In the end,…




Mt Norma circuit in Lewis Pass

After my last trip to Lewis Pass on which we got rained on, I decided that the next time when we’ll be spending 5h of our Sunday in a car, it’ll be on a sunny day. And this was the day! 17 brave CTC souls including 2 adventurous prospective members took off from Palmer Lodge car park at about 9.30 AM.


Travers Peak in Lewis Pass

The plan was simple: Go from Traverse Peak to Trovatore. The forecast wasn’t too bad, a wee bit cloudy with moderate winds. After arriving at Lewis Pass, the tops were in clouds. We followed a well marked track to the bushline where we had a wee lunch and off we went towards Traverse Peak.


Mt Faust and Mephistopheles

Another 2 peaks in a day! I did it as a CTC trip as I committed this year to lead a trip a month. Main points from the trip (I have a baby you know, I can’t write novels anymore).