Time: 4 hours
Distance: 12.8 km
Start: Summit Road at the base Mt. Vernon
Finish: Same place (we did the return walk)
Date: Friday 21st May 2021
Walking Times:
Mt.Vernon to Mt. Cavendish (via the peaks) 2.5 hours
Mt.Cavendish to Mt.Veron (1.5 hours)
The 20 km Crater Rim Walkway (CRW) goes all the way from near Gebbies Pass to Godley Head, sidling along the edge of the now extinct Lyttelton Volcano. This volcano complex was formed 11-6 million years ago (pretty specific) and Lyttelton Harbour is what is left of the crater. Our plan is to walk it in six sections (see below), today being section four.
CRW 1: Ahurihi bush to Sign of the Bellbird
CRW 2: Sign of the Bellbird to Sign of the Kiwi
CRW 3: Sign of the Kiwi to Mt. Vernon
CRW 4: Mt. Vernon to Mt. Cavendish
CRW 5: Mt. Cavendish to Evan's Pass
CRW 6: Evan's Pass to Godley Head
We parked at the base of Mt. Vernon, in a small lay-by off Summit Road where a stiff breeze was blowing across the saddle. From here the track goes almost vertically upward and within 10 minutes we were on top of Mt. Vernon puffing and fully warmed up.
The Crater Rim Walkway could be seen stretching out in front of us towards Godley Head, with fabulous views in all directions. On the south side: Lyttleton Harbour (Whakaraupō). On the north side: Pegasus Bay. The coastline extends as far as the eye can see and in the distance, the Kaikoura's and Tapuae-O-Uenuku appear to rise from the ocean.
We scuttled down the other side of Mt.Vernon, past Rapaki Rock and then followed a side trail up to Te Upoko-O-Kurī (The Head of the Dog a.k.a "Witch Hill"). Their was some unsettlingly steep rock scrambling here but we were soon on top where there is a WW1 memorial stone seat. Luckily the descent was on the other side and not nearly so steep (we probably should have gone up that way).
We rejoined the Crater Rim Walkway and continued on to the next rocky outcrops, Te Moenga nga Wheke (The sleeping place of Wheke a.k.a "The Tors"). The first "Tor" involved following a vague trail up the hill, then climbing a tricky barbed wire fence before another rock scramble to the top. The descent was the same way, slightly more tricky and we nearly got stuck trying to take a short cut to avoid the fence.
The second "Tor" was directly above Te Tihi-O-Kahukura (Castle Rock) and an easy walk to the top on another vague side trail. A beautiful iridescent green scarab beetle was meandering along. Due to our unwanted attention it scuttled off the path which meant we did not have to "rescue" it.
The peaks above Whakaraupō are collectively known as Ōketeupoko (Basket of Heads). You can read the gory details at Ka huru manu, an excellent local area mapping project developed by Ngai Tahu. Kia ora.
We were ready for a coffee by this point so we marched onward to the Mt. Cavendish and the Gondola Cafe for lunchtime victuals. The views are nice but... WARNING 1: Do NOT eat the meat pies here. Hooough-wa. WARNING 2: Do NOT attempt friendly banter with one particular staff member.
For the return journey we decided to take the path of least resistance which meant walking along sections of the Summit Road. Very pleasant these days (post earthquake) because the road is closed to traffic all the way to Rapaki Rock.
On the way we met our very first overseas tourists in 1.5 years. This was exciting. A lovely couple that had recently taken advantage of our new Travel Bubble and flown over from Melbourne. We chatted, but kept a few meters between us though.
An icy wind started to blow and we rugged up big time. I pulled my woolly hat down over ears and kept my face expressionless, least the wind should change and I be stuck that way for ever.
