The first part (the Monument Track) is a track that only goes up and up and up and it’s slow going in today’s heat

Halfway up and looking back

The top of Mount Herbert, I’ve been here before a few times

It’s still quite a distance to the hut and because I started quite late I am getting anxious, will I make it to the hut before dark!? It’s somewhere in the middle in the distance that I need to be

Lyttelton Harbour

I should be close now, somewhere just beyond the green ridge, and quite a bit lower

To my east the moon is coming up

To my west the sun is going down

I made it to the hut in the nick of time, 5 minutes later and the descend towards the hut would have been dangerous with hardly any daylight left. There were people in the hut already and despite there being room for me I decide to pitch my trusty tent instead

Packhorse Hut, I spent some time inside but am tired of all the hiking so call it a night early

This morning, the view of my tent from the hut, it’s nippy outside

A drone shot

Today I am walking back the same way I got in yesterday, the drawback is that you know what’s to come, especially if you know that it’s going to be another many hours of walking up, and up, and up

Looking back, the hut is also visible in the bottom right, Lake Ellesmere in the background

This is what I walked through yesterday in almost darkness

Mt Herbert Shelter, time for a rest. Mt Bradley in the background, alps in the far distance

Nice view of Lyttelton Harbour, Quail Island is the island in the middle

Summit of Mt Herbert again, from here on it will only be downhill, yay!

Port Levy, The Monument on the right

Lyttelton, Lyttelton Harbour, Pegasus Bay

Once again The Monument on the right, on the left the road leading towards the parking where my car is parked, in fact you can see my car if you pixel peep

Map and height profile of the track from car park to the hut

The jetty at Rapaki

At the Allendale Reserve

Charteris Bay

St Paul’s Church at Port Levy

With it’s small cemetery basking in sunlight

Duvauchelle Boat Ramp

Looking West towards Saddle Hill (left) and French Hill (right)

Robinson’s Bay Wharf

Childrens Bay

Akaroa with its lovely houses

French Bay

Main Wharf

I would love to have a yacht here myself

You can but pearls and whatnot here

Akaroa Boating Club Hall

The sun is about to set over Akaroa Habour

Rachel at the…

…Akaroa Lighthouse

The lodge Rachel arranged, very cozy

Time for dinner

There are a number of different tracks here, all with great views, like this one, with Mt Bradley in the background

And this one of Lyttelton Harbour

We’re doing a lovely loop track

Smile

Rachel overlooking Lyttelton Harbour

Part of the track goes through some forest before looping back to where we parked the car

The beginning of the track isn’t the most interesting to be honest

Innitially it’s a bit of paddock hopping

But eventually we reach a forest and it gets more interesting and the views better

These are the ‘Remarkable Dykes‘, I was expecting something else tbh but on the other hand finding dykes here would have been quite remarkable by itself

The dykes again

A bit of shelter from the bright sun in the tree covered parts of the track

The Packhorse Hut, it’s busy today, more people had the splendid idea to go here today

Inside the hut, front room, must be fantastic here in winter with the fireplace going

The bunks in the back room

Plenty of water in the hut, the hut overlooks Lyttelton Harbour but you can also see the Canterbury Plains from here and the Kaituna Valley to the south

Time for a nap

And we’re on our way back, bye bye hut

A look back to where the hut is, just a few minutes away behind that hill on the right

Through the woods again, it smells lovely of pine here

Rachel looking back towards Mt Bradley, the hut itself is right in that little saddle behind the pine trees

Lyttelton Harbour and Moepuku in the distance

So that’s what we are doing today, first the Monument Track North, followed by the Summit Link Track and then Mt Herbert. Here we are on the link track looking north towards Lyttelton Harbour

Same place but looking back

Now we’re on the ridge, after maybe 1.5 hours of walking, from here on it’s an easy walk to Mt Herbert summit

Flatmate Rob at the summit, what a hero!

Lyttelton Harbour with Quail Island, Lyttelton itself, the mountains in the distance and the beach all the way to Kaikoura

Me and Rob at the summit

Looking east

looking a little more south, towards Lake Ellesmere and Kaitorete Split

Radio equipment, but what for? Weather station?

Rob keeping an eye on things

And we’re on our way back again

The Monument

Another look north

Map of our relaxing trip, just over 11 km in 4 hours