After about half a year’s break from organising trips for kids, I put together a wee walk around Leith Hill – a rounded, blobby hill that dominates Castle Hill Village.

A few families and I, along with their kids aged between 7 months and 7 years, met up in Castle Hill Village at 10 AM. It was clear from the carpark that we were in for an interesting, dynamic day (as is usually the case with kids…). One girl refused to leave the car, so her family headed home. Oh well – with kids, you just have to roll with it.

The first obstacle, Thomas River, was negotiated carefully, yet about 50% of the kids still ended up with wet feet. Oh well, we’re rolling, aren’t we? We continued towards the forest, where Allegra decided she preferred walking in socks to wearing either her wet school shoes or her small tramping boots. No problem. About a kilometre later, the school shoes were back in favour. Sure thing – let’s keep it rolling, almost at the picnic stop on top of the track!

When we finally reached the top, we were rewarded with some lovely views over the Broken River Basin. From there, we rolled down the hill (some kids literally) pretty quickly. The imaginary award for “Muddiest Kid” went to Elliot, who was so covered in mud that when he jumped into Thomas River, I didn’t even protest – not that it would’ve changed anything.

All in all, it was a pretty decent outing for the little legs, especially given the winter conditions: fresh breeze, light drizzle, heaps of mud, and single-digit temperatures. The kids didn’t seem to mind, though; they pushed through like it was a sunny summer’s day. A great day out – let’s get our little ones out adventuring more often!

Stats: 6.10 km, 5h, 340 m ascent

Participants: Michal Klajban (leader, scribe, GPX) + kid, Rae Volante + kids, Shontal Howard + kid, Nicola Thorne + kids, Ashley Yaxley + kids

Tramped on 19th July 2025.

Photos

Map

Download file: GPX-hikingisgood-com-nz-2025-Leith_Hill_with_kids.gpx