Red Hills traverse

December 2010

Dad, Alice and I decided to take the longer way to Nelson and traverse the Red Hills range and across Ben Nevis to the Wairoa Valley. After a morning drive from Christchurch Jo dropped us off on SH 63, just by where the Rainbow Road joins. A gentle 4WD drive track led us up to Red Hills Hut in an easy 2 hours. The landscape was amazing as it turned from typical beech forest to a scrubby red rock landscape. We had a pleasant night at the hut with beautiful views up Maitland Creek and the company of a lone Weka.

The view out from Red Hills Hut

Cass to Jollie circuit

December 2010

To celebrate my graduation from university and before heading off on my next adventure to Auckland, Dad and I took the chance to head into the hills behind Glenmore station, Lake Tekapo.  The trip started at Waterfall Hut in the Cass Valley (as far as we could drive with the current river levels) in stunning calm and dry weather conditions. A short 1.5 hour wander following vehicle tracks led us to Tin Hut Stream where the real adventure began.

Approaching Tin Hut Stream in the Cass Valley