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…
Lower Salmon Creek Bivouac is a hidden gem
The weather forecast was poor for that weekend, so I decided to visit Black Hill Hut, which is reasonably sheltered and reasonably far from the Main Divide where the rain usually hangs out. I drove…
Mt Somers Loop Track as a day trip
It’s been less than a couple of years since I did the Mt Somers Loop track in a day. I remembered that when I did it in 2021, it turned out to be harder than…
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…
Godley Head with Kuba, Kupkin, and Elliot
My friend Kuba (Frysak) came over from the Czech Republic. We went to check out the Godley Head, Taylor’s Mistake, and Boulder Bay. It was his first walk in New Zealand. Kupkin and my kiddo…
Castle Rock and Lyttelton pipeline in Port Hills
John Kerkhofs led yet another trip in Port Hills that looked quite interesting as it was promising 1000m up on mostly less known tracks. We met up at Duncan park and climbed up along Fridze…
Evans Pass to Godley Head and Boulder Bay
For this trip, I decided to take my son Ellic who’s been asking for “walk” since 6 AM. “Do you want breakfast buddy?” “Wa!” “Maybe some porridge?” “Wa!” “Hum, what about I’ll change your pyjamas…