I have lived in Mid Canterbury for 14 years now, and in all that time I have never made the trip to Peak Hill.
All that changed for me in September 2022, I originally had this trip planned for the first weekend in September but unfortunately the weather was unkind and the wind too strong for a pleasant outing. I have heard numerous stories from people who have climbed Peak Hill but been beaten back due to the weather, I certainly didn't want my first time to be unpleasant.
Fortunately for me Mother Nature smiled oh so sweetly and I was able to run the trip the following weekend.
We left Ashburton at 8.30am, heading through Methven, the Rakaia Gorge, passing Terrace Downs Resort and finally turning down Algiduus Road.
When we arrived at the car park there was one vehicle packing up to leave and another there, which we assumed was people already heading up the hill.
The sky was clear, no clouds and not even a breath of wind, it certainly had all the promise of a wonderful first ever climb of Peak Hill.
From the car park, you cross a fence stile into a sheep paddock, the track markers have you skirting the fence line the taking a hard left still following the fence line. There was one wet muddy patch that wasn't too bad to get through. Looking straight up the hill we could see the next fence stile and the sign for the Peak Hill Conservation Area.
Once we crossed the fence some layers came off and we began the steep climb up. The track was a bit slippery in places, due to previous rain, snow and thawing frosts. Going up was pleasant, the slippery clay ensured that we could take our time and really appreciate the view and surroundings.
As we climbed we started to see glimpses of Lake Coleridge below, it's waters reflecting the bright blue sky above.
We had a break at the first lookout point and information panel which explains the areas Maori history and significance.
Once we were suitably refreshed we continued up, the track was still steep, but we could see the skyline ridge above that we knew we would be traversing before the final push to the summit. The track was still slippery clay, and this was probably the worst section, fortunately it didn't last very long.
Once on the skyline ridge we had a rest from the climb as it became a pleasant undulating trail. The views opened up once again and we could see the full length of Lake Coleridge and the peaks beyond such as Ben More.
The final climb loomed so we pressed on, passing people who had summitted early and were returning to the car park, it was much shorter than the climb to the first lookout.
The top of Peak Hill is marked by a very large rock cairn situated in the middle of a large flat top. At the far end another information panel which explains the areas glacial history and where the various peaks have come from.
It is a full 360 degree panorama of the upper Rakaia River, Wilberforce River, Black Hill and Mt Hut Ranges along with the Big Ben and Craigieburn Ranges.
We enjoyed our lunch at the rock cairn soaking in the views and enjoying the time we were having in the hills.
I could not have asked for better weather for my first trip up Peak Hill, not a cloud to be seen and very little wind, I cannot wait to climb this again.
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