Walk Facts		Good book about tramping in New Zealand
Distance	18 km
Ascent	900 m
Estimated time	7 hours return
Hiked on	11th July 2019
Map & GPX files	See the online map below (with GPX download) Open the track at NZ Topo Maps	More books about tramping in New Zealand

Typical sight of trails around Mt Herbert: gorse and sheep

There are quite a few ways how to reach Mt Herbert. One of the most pleasant ones is to get to Lyttelton, take a ferry across to Diamond Harbour and follow Herbert Walkway all the way to the top and back. That’s what we did.

Chilling is an essential part of tramping

We joined up the trial on a small beach at Stoddart Point. The trail followed a small stream in a shady and bushy valley. Soon we crossed the main road and entered a farm land. The trail is well marked and easy to follow. The ascent is only very gradual and I didn’t even had a chance to notice and we had great views across Lyttelton Harbour.

It took us about 3 hours to reach the top of Mt Herbert. There isn’t any shade and it’s exposed to elements so I wouldn’t recommend to hike it on sunny days. I can imagine that it gets really hot up there. After we reached the top, we descended to a three-wall Mt Herbert Shelter to have a lunch. The shelter is located on the Western slopes of Mt Herbert and it’s a very nice place to have a break.

View from the top towards the ocean

From the shelter, we decided to follow the trail do Diamond Harbour the same way as we came up. Just to keep it simple and easy. More interesting would surely be to take a path along Te Wharau stream but we’d have to walk 5km along the road to finish the loop or have transport sorted which we didn’t. Stoddard Point is a lovely place to hang out – ideal after a day in the hills.

Stoddart Point in Diamond Harbour

Map

Related posts:

Foggy Peak via Foggy Peak Ridge, Torlesse Range Mt Herbert via Gebbies Pass Mt Misery via Snowslide Stream, Black Range, Canterbury From Mount Torlesse to Red Peak in Torlesse Range, Canterbury