Time: 4 hours (2 hours from car park to Ella Peak)
Distance: 11.3 km
Start: Tiromoana Bush Walkway carpark, Mt Cass Road, Waipara
Date: Friday 29th April 2022
When the Christchurch dump was shifted from suburban Burwood to the beautiful rolling hill country around Kate Valley, Transwaste Canterbury created two awesome walkways nearby as a softener: the Tiromoana Bush Walkway and the Mt. Cass Walkway. Tiromoana means "Look at the Ocean" - an apt reference to the stunning coastal views that serve as a backdrop to the walk.
The Tiromoana Bush Walkway comprises a network of tracks - I suppose you could walk them all in one go but we have split them into two: The Beach Loop and today's Ella Peak Loop. We could not have picked a better day - a beautiful blue autumn sky, no wind. A slight chill in the air but we were soon shedding jackets and striding downhill through the pines to the first gate at the port-a-loo.
Once through the gate, the track descended into a basin with a short side trip to Kate Pond. Ducks galore in the distance. Then the uphill began - the grass was wet with dew and soon our feet were sopping. Halfway up the hill we turned off first for the lookout, then onto Te Ara Kānuka - a track which cuts across a stand of mānuka kānuka. Today the korimako/bellbirds were in fine fettle. They whistled and wheezed and chortled. As they flew around us we could hear the thrum thrum thrum of their wing beats. We stood still and listened.
We exited the kānuka grove, turned up the ridge and were soon standing at the top. Ella Peak. Spectacular views awaited us here. Not to mention a trig and a picnic table where we could indulge in the grand vista and snacks. Nuts, muslie bars, froo balls, apples and mandarins. We paused our munching to rescue a green looper caterpillar off Nicole's head.
We backtracked down the hill but then took the first left for a slightly different return route. Past Kate Pond we detoured again via Te Ara Tawhai up to Barbara's Lookout. Who was Barbara and, for that matter, who were Kate and Ella? A Google search has not elucidated. From the lookout it was just a couple of minutes to complete the loop and we were back to the car park. Without further ado we drove to Amberley and the Little Vintage Espresso Cafe where we sat happily outside in the autumn sun drinking our coffees and catching up.
