To start off, hiking Little Mt Peel is not so little. What’s in a name right? However, the challenge up the Tara Haoa Range is so worth the views at the top. It wouldn’t be my choice for a first hike in the area but if you’re looking to tackle a track and take your hiking to the next level, Little Mt Peel is certainly it.
Little Mt Peel is located in Peel Forest, not too far from Geraldine and inland from Timaru. This is one of the most popular day hikes in the area, especially among locals. The area is lush, green and full of birdsong. It’s a nature lovers’ paradise.
In this blog post, I’m going to share what to expect hiking up Little Mt Peel, when to go, what to wear and other walks in the area.
Track details
1311m | 911gain | 8.5km | 4-5hrs
My route
I started out on the Deer Spur track at the end of Blandswood Road. This track is also the same starting for the ‘Fern walk’ and you can get to ‘Allan’s track’ from here as well. The Deer Spur track is the most popular track and from my understanding the best one to take. There are another couple of options. You can take Allan’s track to the Deer Spur track which will make a longer hike. The south ridge track is the other option but it’s been cautioned that it’s steeper, more rugged and only suitable for really experienced hikers.
The ascent
Right from the get-go, the walk to even just the start of the track is steep up the road. Don’t worry though because it does level off for a bit while walking in the forest. Peel Forest is different from a lot of other hiking in Canterbury. Instead of beech forests, most of Peel Forest is filled with native trees like mataī, giant lowland tōtara, and kahikatea trees many of them estimated to be about 1000 years old.
It’s not long once on the track in the forest that the junction for the Fern walk comes up. Keep left on the Deer Spur track and left again at the junction to the Allans track. The track through the forest is littered with leaves, tree roots criss-cross all throughout the path and there is a lot of wooden steps in place.
Nearly a third of the way up goes through the forest. You then come across a very small tarn with a nice gravel path that goes around. From here, things are more like sub-alpine scrub and shortly after is where, in my opinion, the track really starts to climb and the challenge comes in.
The Department of Conservation has done a lot of work on this path and in many parts going up, they’ve put in wooden boardwalks. If it’s dry they have good traction getting up. By now the track is out in more tussocks and flax land and the views around Canterbury are beautiful!
The last maybe third or so of the track is the steepest and goes over more of a rocky path and in some places quite loose. The track is well used so you know exactly where to go but just the steepness and the loose rock can be hard to get up. Extra concentration is needed.
Summit view of Little Mt Peel
The summit of Little Mt Peel is marked by a Trig station. The views definitely don’t disappoint and stretch all the way over to the coast, along the Tara Haoa Range to Big Mt Peel, and over the Canterbury Plains. A lot of the scrub is a burnt orange colour and makes for a lovely contrast against the sky, and the green of the plains.
At the summit almost on a spur is the Tristam Harper Memorial Shelter. You’ll be able to see the shelter as you ascend up the mountain. There is a toilet and water (should be boiled before drinking) and it is there for emergency use only. You can go into the shelter if you need to and be sure to sign the guest book!
The descent
I have to be honest and say the descent was just as hard as coming up and probably took almost just as long. It can be a bit tricky finding your footing on the steep rocky bits and I also found myself going down with a bit of hesitation on the boardwalks making sure I didn’t slip.
I certainly would not be doing this hike when it’s wet out and definitely not when it’s icey. If you choose to, you’ll likely need some extra grip! The path in the forest can get quite slippery as well with all the leaf litter and it’s pretty easy for your legs to slip right out under you. I wouldn’t recommend going up this track after a rainfall. Summertime would get hot but it’s usually the driest. If you start hiking early it shouldn’t be too bad.
alternative routes
As mentioned before, there are a couple of alternative routes. You can get to the Deer Spur track via Allan’s track which can start from either the Acland Falls track or from Te Wanahu Flat. I don’t know exactly how much longer this would be from starting at Blandswood but I would think at least an extra kilometer. The map below shows where the track is. Peel Forest also has a brochure here that’s really helpful.
The other route, the south ridge can be used to make a loop track. It goes down by Emily Falls and back to Blandswood Road. Again, as mentioned before the track is more rugged and even steeper than the Deer Spur track. Knowing what the Deer Spur track is like, the south ridge would be very challenging no matter whether you’re ascending or descending. If you decide to go for the challenge I would suggest not going alone.
WHen to go
The prettiest time to go I think would be winter but you’d have to be extremely careful with track conditions as it potentially would be slippery as heck! So in saying that late spring to early fall would be the best time. The weather would likely not be as wet and you wouldn’t be battling snowy conditions.
Of course, always check the weather and be prepared to turn around if needed. The weather is so unpredictable up in the mountains and it can be sunny one minute with fog rolling in the next.
What to pack/wear
The most important piece of gear is your PLB or GPS. Then I would say hiking boots. I would not suggest hiking in shoes. You’ll need footwear with a decent grip.
How to get there
Peel Forest is off the Inland Scenic Route 72. No matter which way you’re coming from, Christchurch, Geraldine or Rakaia Gorge there are signs posted. Once you’ve turned into Peel Forest continue in for almost 10km or so and turn left onto Blandswood Road. At the end of the road, before the ford is where you can park to get up to the start of the track. There is no parking at the top of the road so you’ll just have to walk up from the bottom.
This is in a residential area so please respect the resident’s privacy and park responsibly.
Other tracks in the area
There are a few walks and shorter hikes in the area. The Peel Forest brochure is a great resource but some of them include:
- Big Tree walk- 30-minute return
- Acland Falls- under 1 hour
- Dennistoun bush- 1 hour return
- Kahikatea Walk- 1 hour return
Other day hikes in Mid Canterbury