According to Hutbagger, I’ve been to Packhorse hut 6 times. Oh well, I’ve been there only 1 time with my kiddo so perhaps it’s time to visit this iconic Christchurch hut again!
Ellič and I started in Kaituna Valley. As he’s getting heavier and heavier, I’m looking for the easiest ways how to get to places rather than the hardest. As I was driving to the carpark, I managed to keep him awake by engaging him in the silly songs that I sang. This proves to be a good strategy of mine when I keep my kiddo awake in the car so he can sleep in my frontpack instead. Why is that? Firstly, he gets longer, deeper and more comfortable sleep. Secondly, it gives me about 60-90 minutes time frame during which I can cover a decent distance. This time, Ellič slept the whole way and he woke up when I sat down on a bench by Packhorse Hut.
Once at the hut, we made tea, cooked some beans and I let him run around for a couple of hours. This is also a very critical part of tramping with a toddler: they need their time to burn energy, engage with the environment and play with sticks, parents and strangers. After about a couple of hours, we started our descent. Ellič was keen to walk at first, but after about 100m he got tired of slipping on mud and wanted me to take him. So I did put him in my backpack, sped up a bit and made it back to the car in an hour.
This was one of the best trips we’ve done together, very fun, enjoyable and engaging. Man, I really did make my own tramping buddy (okay, with the wee assistance of my partner).
Rough stats: 7.6 km, 4 hours (including 2 hours at Packhorse hut), 430m up
Tramped on 16th July 2022.
Photos
Map
Max elevation: 455 m
Min elevation: 20 m
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