High Peak & Quartz Hill

I went on a 'moderate' graded day walk with the Christchurch tramping club to High Peak. The trip was led by Susan Pearson.

The idea for putting the trip on the club's programme had come from Pat Barrett's 'Foothills & Forests' route-guide. Quartz Hill was an addition to Barrett's route. I understand a club old-timer had also told Susan she should include a diversion to Snowy Peak as well. This wasn't on our plan.

We drove past Rakaia Gorge and turned up a side road to the Quartz Hill farm. Susan told us that farmer Colin Guild had insisted on meeting us. She said he complained about his phone number being in Pat Barrett's route guide, as people were ringing him to ask permission. Apparently he found it an inconvenience having people come and walk across his place as he 'had to' go out and meet them when they arrived and again when they left. I guess he's chosen to believe the Federated Farmers nonsense about OSH. Whatever, I understand a bottle of wine then changed hands and we were allowed to go for our walk.

We walked along a farm road to the hillside then up a fenceline to Middle Saddle and on up a tussock slope to High Peak.

We paused briefly on the broad flat 'peak' and then hurried on. There were views if you wanted to risk tripping over to look at them. I watched where I was putting my feet. Perhaps I'm just used to taking frequent micro-pauses for the view. The CTC style is for just two or three set stops on a trip, and an uncompromising, resolutely athletic pace between them.

So on we went, strung out and the stragglers trying to keep up, east along the ridge and down another fenceline to another saddle.

Beyond the saddle the ridge had grand rocky outcrops. A 4x4 track bypassed this, gaining the ridge further along. The keener ones knew the outcrops were the main event and couldn't miss going up through them. The others, preferring an easier pace for a while, opted for the 4x4 track.

After regrouping we stopped for lunch.

On we went again, northeast to point 821 m. Then we dropped down to a saddle and climbed to Quartz Hill. That had a great panorama to the west and it would have been a great place to linger. But on we went down the slope on the other side to a 4x4 track. This took us back around the west side of the hill.

Farmer Colin met us again as we came down.

We walked out along the farm roadway, to the constant roar of stags.

Nothing actually went wrong on this trip, but it just seemed to lack the usual pleasure that I get in the hills. It's not that the area doesn't have anything going for it. Maybe the report we received of Colin's comments just made me feel unwelcome there.