| Leader | Mentor | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Dave R | Lynne R | Lynne B |
| Alternates | Bev | Ali | Moira |
Statistics: Distance 12km/10.1km, elevation 975m, Time 4hr 30min
It is always a relief to see a Tranzit bus turning into the carpark at Bishopdale, especially when it’s an 8am start. Our driver Gary negotiated his way through all the commuter traffic to our pick-up stop at Halswell, then to our Little River loo stop and on to Akaroa where we arrived at 10am.
The 23 Standards noticed straight away how pleasantly warm it was as we walked through the streets to Woodills Track North where we started an unrelenting slog uphill. ‘Pleasantly warm’ soon turned into oppressively humid. There were glorious patches of shade to enjoy, but of course, the nasty native nettle onga onga likes the shade too. Much less scary was the long grass along the narrow track in the open areas, with bracken, gorse and broom alongside.
By the time we had trudged up to our morning tea spot at the Heritage Reserve some of us were already feeling a bit worse for wear. It was just a little disconcerting to be aware that the clever Alternates had had the sense to stay on the bus and be effortlessly transported directly to this spot.
So, with the 15 Alts well ahead of us we set off up the Curry Track towards Purple Peak. The name Curry comes from the Curry family who owned this land from the 1870s through to 2015 when the 190 ha Purple Peak Curry Reserve was formed and sheep and cattle were removed. But why the name ‘Purple Peak’? I have no information so will fudge it with two theories of my own. Maybe the native poroporo plant with its purple flowers was more prolific before farming and the gorse took over? Or just maybe, once a rum-addled sailor looked up and saw a hazy peak high above, and insisted persuasively that it was coloured purple?
Gorse is helping the reserve to regenerate, as it has in the neighbouring Hinewai Reserve. However, the sight of the occasional magnificent pre-European trees like tōtara and mataī showed what has been lost. A few people commented that the emerging forest had a bit of a pre-historic or jungle feel to it.
After reaching the carpark at Brocheries Road we raced up to the summit of Purple Peak – actually, no!!! We merely walked on a little further to the Browntop Saddle between Purple Peak and the more impressive Stoney Bay Peak. We then continued downhill on the Purple Peak track and had lunch soon after. Some of us Standards went a little further on to the shelter, with its promise of shade and great views of Akaroa, the harbour, and the Alps. Unfortunately, the little structure was already occupied by the Alts who were still enjoying their lunch and in no hurry to move on.
Going downhill at last was pleasant and it didn’t take long to get to the Lower Woodills Track which we followed until we got to Grehan Valley Rd and we caught up with Alts when it morphed into Rue Grehan. We all made it back to the Akaroa Recreation ground at 3pm where our bus was waiting serenely by the sea. El Presidente even remembered to grab his shoe bag out of the bushes where he had hidden it in the morning, after he found it had been erroneously pulled from the bus which by then had taken off to Long Bay Road with the Alts on board. An uneventful trip ride back followed and we made it back to Bishopdale at 5pm.
A big shout-out to our proactive planning team who have added this excellent tramp to our already vast list of tramp locations.
Addendum: A famous New Zealander who grew up in this area was Frank Worsley, Ernest Shackelton’s Antarctic navigator in the early 20th century. His adventurous childhood in the upper Grehan Valley and his later exploits make for interesting reading.
Text by Shirls
