| Leader | Mentor | Understudy | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Alan | Chris S | Brent | Kate |
| Alternates | Ali | Norma | Kay | Moira |
Distance 14.5 km Ascent 552m Duration 4 hrs 30 mins
Mt Herbert (Te Ahu Pātiki) is 920m, the highest point on Banks Peninsula. Starting from Port Levy Saddle as we did, it is a 552m climb. The name in Māori means shaped like a flounder. The Chatham Islanders’ tradition is that their ancestors came from here.
Schools had autumn holidays so our ride was quite quick, via the Halswell Library pick-up. We welcomed two visitors – Mark and Linley’s daughter Andrea.
10:10 am: Andrew our driver delivered us (15 Alternates, 25 Standards) to Monument Track (north). Monument is a huge conical landmark on Port Levy Saddle, popular with mountaineers. Although tramping kilometres uphill, we remained just below Monument, seeming to advance nowhere.
10:30: Morning tea – still just below Monument. All enjoyed the views of bush-clad valleys dropping steeply to Port Levy.
Finally passing Monument we followed the track gradually upwards in the prevailing white mist, with only glimmers of Lyttelton Harbour ahead. What the waters below lacked in colour, they made up for in shimmering light. Cool winds caused us to layer up and put on gloves.
12:23: Reached Mt Herbert peak, lunch time.
Our able leader suggested that being early, we could go back for another loop around…but that conversation went nowhere. The Standards were already there in a spot sheltered from the chilling breeze. They were only half way through their lunch so the Alternates, despite our leader’s suggestion, just piled in and squeezed among the prime spots.
Helen, with the Standards, had spotted a falcon perched on a rock, before it flew off.
The walk downhill from the peak to Diamond Harbour was uneventful except for passing through herds of beautiful black cows and their half-grown calves. They looked at us benignly but curiously, as if we are most peculiar creatures. Indeed we always appear somehow strung together in a line, never stopping to munch a swag of choice grass no matter how green, nor drink from the occasional pools no matter how soft the muddy edges.
The mist cleared at last and on the long way down we were treated to sunshine and spectacular views of Lyttelton Harbour and beyond.
3:30: Joined the Standards at the bus after a hard but very rewarding tramp.
Text by Daphne
