2009. Kaituna Valley to Packhorse Hut Walkway, Mount Bradley

2009. Marleys Hill Summit Road view of Mount Herbert & Mount Bradley, Banks Peninsula


2009. Gibraltar Rock Summit Road view of Canterbury Plains & Southern Alps


2009. Coopers Knobs Summit Road view of Mount Herbert & Mount Bradley, Banks Peninsula

As my Burnside, Christchurch home was about 45 kms from SH75 Akaroa Road turnoff to Kaituna Valley, I drove across Port Hills via Dyers Pass, Summit Road and Gebbies Pass to SH75. On Summit Road by Marleys Hill, I viewed Mount Herbert (920m) and Mount Bradley (855m) across Lyttelton Harbour.

Along Summit Road on my right I had magnificent views over Canterbury Plains to snowy Southern Alps. I coolpixed different views of Mount Bradley from Coopers Knobs, Gebbies Pass and Gebbies Valley.


2009. Gebbies Valley view of Mount Bradley (855m) Banks Peninsula


2009. St. Kentigern Anglican Church, Kaituna Valley Road, Banks Peninsula


2009. Kaituna Valley Road with Mount Bradley backdrop, Banks Peninsula


2009. DOC Walkway Turnoff Sign into Parkinsons Road, Banks Peninsula

Off SH75, along Kaituna Valley Road I stopped to see St. Kentigern Anglican Church opposite a farm shed. Six kms along Kaituna Valley, I turned left into Parkinsons Road by the Department Of Conservation (DOC) KAITUNA VALLEY WALKWAY CARPARK sign. At the carpark near a farm shed, another DOC sign stated:

KAITUNA VALLEY
PACKHORSE HUT WALKWAY 4 hr return (4 km)


2009. DOC Packhorse Hut Walkway Sign, Parkinsons Road, Banks Peninsula

Another DOC sign stated:

MOUNT HERBERT WALKWAY CLOSED
FOR LAMBING BETWEEN 1st AUG and 16th OCT

Another sign:

NO DOGS


2009. Warning Signs, start of Packhorse Hut Walkway, Parkinsons Road, Banks Peninsula

Lambing season stopped my plan to walk across the top of Mount Bradley to Mount Herbert, which I'd have to climb another day. On a fence, a red, black, white, skull-and-crossbones sign stated:

WARNING! POISON
CYANIDE FOR POSSUM CONTROL 29/4/09 - 1/11/09...
BLUE BAGS AND CYANIDE PASTE
PLEASE KEEP TO WALKWAYS...
ORTON BRADLEY TO PORT LEVY


2009. Start of Packhorse Hut Walkway, Parkinsons Road, Banks Peninsula

A friendly brown dog showed off by leaping over the track gate, then crawling under the next fence, and disappearing up the valley. On my way up, I heard the dog intermittently barking in the bush.

I crossed sheep paddocks, passed Kaituna Farmstead and entered a mix of gums, pines and native bush, with DOC native plantings beside the track. Wind had blown off branches and had blown a gum tree across the track, marked with iron fence standards and orange plastic caps.


2009. Packhorse Hut Walkway near Kaituna Farmstead, Mount Bradley

Near the farmhouse, a fence warning sign stated:

WRIGHT FENCE
ELECTRIC FENCE


2009. Fallen Gum Tree, Packhorse Hut Walkway, near Kaituna Farmstead

By a fence stile another DOC direction sign stated:

PACKHORSE HUT
PLEASE KEEP TO MARKED TRACK


2009. Packhorse Hut Walkway in Bushy Valley, Mount Bradley

I walked the muddy valley track below a ridge through native bush, mainly kanuka, with bushy gullies and high ridges to the left and right. On my way up, I crossed more stiles and used stepping-stones to cross three streams and many muddy ditches.

A smiley family passed me going down after a night in Packhorse Hut. Thereafter I had the track to myself. While I climbed, I saw distant tracks on Mount Bradley looming ahead and more tracks on the ridge to my right. The left ridge had high bluff caves.


2009. Ridge Caves seen across Bushy Valley, Packhorse Hut Walkway


2009. Tracks Junction, Packhorse Hut Walkway left

The grassy track forked in three directions: left, middle, right. Another DOC sign pointed left to another ridge, so I stepped across a fourth stream, after which the track degraded into rutted, white clay following a fence and a pine shelterbelt up the ridge. Moya of the mountain was angry that overcast, wintry morning, and shook the pines while I climbed.


2009. Fallen Kanuka Tree, Packhorse Hut Walkway, Mount Bradley


2009. Rutted Clay Track beside Gorse & Pine Shelterbelt, Packhorse Hut Walkway


2009. Packhorse Hut Walkway breaking away from Valley Bush, Mount Bradley


2009. Gorse in Bush Valley, Packhorse Hut Walkway, Mount Bradley


2009. Packhorse Hut Walkway view of Grassland & Native Bush, Mount Bradley


2009. Packhorse Hut Walkway DOC track marker pole, Mount Bradley


2009. Packhorse Hut Walkway view of Bush Gully & Peak, Mount Bradley

I passed a blown down kanuka, with gorse on my right. Higher up the ridge, bush broke into windy grassland, with sheep in gullies and on ridges. By a fence I coolpixed a bloated ewe, which looked like it had died while lambing: its mouth full of blood, its pink udder full of milk.


2009. Dead Ewe, Packhorse Hut Walkway


2009. Packhorse Hut Walkway Gate, Mount Bradley


2009. Parkinsons Bush, Packhorse Hut Walkway


2009. Cholecalciferol Warning Sign, Parkinsons Bush, Packhorse Hut Walkway

Near the track top, the panting brown dog rejoined me, then chased sheep down a ridge, while ignoring my, "Oi!" Further up in Parkinsons Bush, while I read a Cholecalciferol poison warning sign on a tree, the brown dog panted up again, and stopped to pose for a coolpix.

The dog looked lean and fit. I wondered whether it was a farm dog, or a sheep-worrier from Gebbies Pass, or Orton Bradley Park, or Diamond Harbour, or just wild? The dog led me up to Packhorse Hut then vanished.

My walk from Kaituna Valley carpark up to Packhorse Hut took me 1.5 hours. I saw no horses, but saw many sheep.


2009. Sheepdog, Packhorse Hut Walkway


2009. Sheepdog, Packhorse Hut Walkway near Packhorse Hut


2009. Packhorse Hut, Mount Bradley, Banks Peninsula


2009. Packhorse Hut view of Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury Plains & Southern Alps


2009. Packhorse Hut view of Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury Plains & Southern Alps


2009. Packhorse Hut view of Gebbies Pass, Canterbury Plains & Southern Alps


2009. Packhorse Hut view of Gebbies Pass & Southern Alps


2009. Packhorse Hut view of Gebbies Pass & Port Hills Coopers Knobs


2009. Packhorse Hut view of Gebbies Pass & Port Hills


2009. Packhorse Hut view over Lyttelton Harbour towards Governors Bay & Dyers Pass, Port Hills


2009. Packhorse Hut view of Lyttelton Harbour & Port Hills

Packhorse Hut nestled in a saddle below Mount Bradley, with grand views down Kaituna Valley to the Pacific, and views of Gebbies Pass, Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury Plains, snowy Southern Alps, Port Hills and Lyttelton Harbour.

Packhorse Hut had an outdoor loo, an empty firewood shed with a chained axe beside it, an outside tap, and another outside tap by a water tank. DOC signs said the water was drinkable, but recommended boiling the water.


2009. DOC Overnight Ticket Charges, Honesty-Box outside Packhorse Hut


2009. Packhorse Hut, Mount Bradley, Banks Peninsula


2009. Parkinson Bush Stone Plaque, Packhorse Hut Porch


2009. Plaque, Packhorse Hut Door

Outside Packhorse Hut was a metal honesty-box in which overnight stayers could place their DOC accommodation tickets. Entering Packhorse Hut was a relief to get out of the wind. By the porch door, a PARKINSONS BUSH 1916 stone plaque was embedded in the stone wall. Little firewood was left beside the door.

Packhorse Hut was warm, as departing backpackers had left glowing charcoal in the iron stove. As I had Packhorse Hut to myself, I scoffed an early lunch which I'd carried in my daypack.


2009. Bench & Stove, Packhorse Hut. Doors enter Bunkrooms


2009. Lyttelton Harbour & Port Hills seen through Packhorse Hut window


2009. Mount Bradley seen through Packhorse Hut window


2009. Info board, Packhorse Hut Bunkroom


2009. Mt Bradley Saddle, seen through Packhorse Hut window

I looked at the two bunkrooms with 10 bunk beds. I snapped coolpix through Packhorse Hut windows. I glanced at DOC info: "Kaituna Valley And The Sign Of The Packhorse Scenic Reserves..." on a bunkroom wall.

I glanced at DOC rules and hazards signs on the diningroom wall. I signed the DOC Visitors Book, stating my intentioned return to Kaituna Valley carpark, in case I got lost. I coolpixed outside views, my Nikon unable to grasp the Alpine panorama.

My return to Kaituna Valley carpark took me 1 hour.


2009. Kaituna Valley & Pacific seen from Packhorse Hut


2009. Kaituna Valley & Pacific, seen from Packhorse Hut Walkway


2009. Kaituna Valley Road & Pacific, seen from Packhorse Hut Walkway

On my drive to the end of Kaituna valley, I stopped to see a male ostrich in a small, green paddock with two black calves. A fence sign stated:

DANGER
BIRDS MAY KICK
WITHOUT WARNING
KEEP YOUR
DISTANCE

Indeed. I felt sorry for the expat ostrich, as I'd jogged with wild ostriches in Namaqualand, where my eldest son was born. Ostriches needed to run to desert horizons... The male ostrich threw its neck and head back, spread its black wings, kneeled down, and did a mating dance for me. Either I smelled like a female ostrich, or the dancer was gay.


2009. Ostrich & Calves, Kaituna Valley Road paddock, Banks Peninsula

Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont