Hello and welcome! I'm an over fifty menopausal woman with a reasonable fitness level. I wouldn't say I'm unfit but I'm also not going to run any marathons anytime soon! I have short skinny legs so I figure this means I have to take more steps than a long legged person haha. But I'm very grateful for my little legs as they have taken me on a lot of hiking and photography adventures. So basically what I'm saying is, if I can do it then so can you :)
_______________________________
Mt Sunday Track, Hakatere Conservation Park, South Island, New Zealand
Every year in May we like to pop away for a night (or two in this case) to celebrate my birthday but also as a last little adventure before we hunker down for the winter. After doing some research and checking the weather forecast we decided it should be warm enough for a camping trip (in the van we had recently purchased).
I had this dream of waking up in our van on my birthday and looking out at a beautiful view. From past experience I knew that early mornings were the best time to catch reflections on a lake. And Lake Camp in the Hakatere Conservation Park did not disappoint. It was everything I had dreamed of.
The Hakatere Conservation Park is situated in mid Canterbury between the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers. It covers nearly 60,000 hectares of land with a number of lakes and this is known as the Ashburton Lakes District.
At the intersection by the Hakatere Historic buildings there was the option to turn right which lead to Lake Heron but we drove straight onto the Hakatere Potts Rd.
The road turned to gravel from this point which was a bit slow going due to the corrugation and potholes!
On the left just before the village of Lake Clearwater was a smaller lake called Lake Camp where we camped for the night.
In the morning I could have sat by Lake Camp forever just gazing at the view but we had a hike to do, so we packed up and headed off.
Luckily we had been on the Hakatere Potts Rd before so I wasn’t demanding stops every few minutes to take photos. (You can see some of those photos in this post HERE). Though that still didn’t stop the views taking my breath away as we dropped into the valley over the hills.
The little hill on its own in the valley, surrounded by the towering Southern Alps mountains, was where we were headed to.
Mount Sunday
 |
| That's Mt Sunday in the middle of the picture - sticking out like a little pimple |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Lord of the Rings fans, this was the home of Edoras - Rohan’s capital city.
 |
| Photo credit to the internet for this picture |
Now just for the record I am not a LOTR fan, I haven’t read the books nor seen the films but it was still pretty cool to me that this little hill had become so famous in the fantasy LOTR world.
But before it became famous as Edoras, the little hill actually got its name of Mt Sunday because boundary riders from the high country stations would meet on this hill on Sundays. Presumably this was back in the day when the pubs weren’t open on a Sunday haha.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We drove over the Potts River bridge, past the Mt Potts Station entrance and through a ford that had no water in it. Eventually getting to the car park for the Mt Sunday walkway. There were only 2 other vans parked in the car park so plenty of room for us to park.
I got my hiking boots on, my camera ready (with a spare battery of course) plus a spare jacket in the backpack as I had read that it can get quite windy and cold on the top of Mt Sunday. Then we went through the gate and headed off.
 |
 |
 |
The gate to start the track. There's a toilet located to the right of the gate (presumably a long drop toilet.) The sign has track information and reminds people to follow the markers.
The track started off as a gravel road then we followed the markers and turned left onto the narrow grassy track.The surrounding views were incredible and it was so quiet and peaceful.
 |
 |
Don't be tempted to take a shortcut and not follow the markers, as there were little water streams everywhere too big to jump across. If you follow the track there are little boardwalks over the streams.
There were also two bridges to cross - a fixed wooden bridge and fun little swing bridge. The swing bridge was limited to 1 person at a time.
Just after the swing bridge we passed through another gate. The warning sign read: "ATTENTION Access to Mt Sunday is granted by way of covenant across private property. Commercially operated guided tours are strictly prohibited. Anyone accessing Mt Sunday for the purpose of profit-making is breaching the covenant & NZ law. This property is patrolled & tour operators caught trespassing will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law"
 |
 |
 |
 |
Up to this point the track had been very easy going and pretty much flat. But now it was time to start climbing.
I always use stopping to take photos as an excuse to have a much needed rest haha. But even non-photographers should stop just to take in those views. Spectacular!It gets a bit steeper near the top and there's an option to go up this steep bit (2nd photo) but we chose to follow the markers and go around.
 |
 |
 |
At the top there was a nice flat green area that was perfect for a picnic, plus some rocky parts to clamber over. Keep an eye on your kids near the edge though!
It was also the site for Edoras - Rohan's capital city from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The funny shaped little tower at the top is a 'Trig Beacon', a geodetic survey marker. It serves as a physical reference point and is part of a network of Trig Stations in NZ. If you want to learn more about them, then you can visit the Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) website HERE.
 |
 |
 |
The views from the top of Mt Sunday were STUNNING. It was worth walking up so early (ish) because there wasn't a breath of wind. And we were completely alone.
I couldn't resist a little photo shoot from every angle. I have a great Instagram Boyfriend haha.
 |
 |
 |
Down below in the distance we could see another couple making their way up so, to give them the same pleasure of being at the top on their own, we started our trek down the hill.
This time we went around the wider way and ended up further up on the gravel road that I had mentioned earlier. That meant we had to cross over a little river though but luckily there were plenty of rocks to balance on.
And walking that way also meant that I got a nice little puddle reflection shot and I can never resist a reflection photo :)
 |
 |
The Hakatere Conservation Area is one of my favourite areas to explore in New Zealand. Check out my Photo Spots blog post HERE for more places to visit in the conservation area. It's well worth a visit!
_____________________________________________________________
Things to know for the Mt Sunday Walk
- There's no fee to park your vehicle or walk the track
- Stay on the track and follow the markers unless you want wet feet
- There's no shade at the top so take your sunhat and sunscreen
- Be prepared for it to be windy and cold at the top
- Take a picnic or a snack, a drink and your camera and soak in the views
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Lord of the Rings fans, I found an awesome behind the scenes video on YouTube by Pentex Productions about creating the set for Edoras on Mt Sunday. Sorry I didn't know how to add it here but you can search Pentex Productions on YouTube and look for the video titled Edoras | LOTR's Most Insane Location. I really recommend watching it even if you're not a LOTR fan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ PLEASE NOTE: We completed this track in May 2023 and there may be changes to how I have described it. ~
--ooOoo--
Thank you for taking the time to read about this hike. Check out all my other blog posts HERE. I'd love you to share this post and if you use my photos, all I ask is that you credit me please :)
Comments
Post a Comment