Lewis Pass

Mt Murray in Doubtful Range

Mt Murray is a 1611 m mountain in the Doubtful Range, in the area collectively known as “Lewis Pass”. On the NZ Topo map, the mountain looks somewhat achievable as a day trip from SH7,…

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Zampa tarn via Trovatore (Lewis Pass)

This time, it was just me and Carmela. We’ve been tramping together for a while, but it had never been just the two of us. We picked a tramp to Zampa Tops as the forecast…


Upper Nina Biv + camping at Nina Valley

Me, my partner, and our 4-year-old kid, Elliot, went on a wee adventure to Nina Valley. It’s not just home to the popular Nina Hut but also has many hidden hideaways with secluded spots for…


Lewis Tops – ideal spot for camping

My son Elliot (3 years old) has been advancing in his tramping journey at lightning speed. I never imagined he’d become such a fit, outdoorsy kid at such a young age. That said, we do…


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…


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,…