After a quiet autumn with not much tramping due to yet another ankle surgery, we decided to take advantage of a long weekend and some late autumn sunshine to test out my ankle with a day hike.
The Peak Hill Conservation Area is less than two hours from Christchurch and after a quick stop for one of Eric’s favourite pies from the little cafe in Hororata, we were soon on the dirt roads heading towards the base of the hill.
The start of the track took us around a couple of fields planted with some kind of winter food for the animals in the nearby stations, however, as soon as we crossed over into the Conservation Area, the track started to climb very quickly. Unlike many of the hikes we do, the lower slopes of Peak Hill didn’t have any trees or bushes, so for the entire climb we were able to enjoy the ever-changing views.
We continued to follow a ridge towards the summit, which had the advantage of giving us different views on either side. On one side of the ridge we would get glimpses of the beautiful blue waters of Lake Coleridge and on the other side the heavily braided Rakaia River.
The views were a good distraction from the constant climb, especially as the higher we went the more we were buffeted by the strong winds.
An early snowstorm had dusted the tops of some of the peaks in the distance and as we got higher much of the ground underfoot was still partially frozen. After covering off over 600 metres in around three kilometers we found ourselves at the summit.
Despite the rather steep climb the views from the top of Peak Hill were well worth it and we could see the upper catchment of the Rakaia River laid out before us with the Southern Alps in the distance. After a quick snack break tucked away out of the wind, we started our slow and slightly slippery trek back down to the car.