Mt Grey– Hike #1

The first weekend  I was in New Zealand Chris took me to go hiking which they call tramping here. Not far from home, maybe 25 minutes.  Landscape beauty realy is right in their back yard! I must admit I was a little cocky before going. I thought oh ya I’m relatively fit, I’ve walked and ‘hiked’ before, says the girl from the prairies! Ha ya I was wrong.

We went out up Mt Grey in the Hurunui district in North Canterbury.

Mount Grey /Maukatere

3,064’/ 934 meters

Named after Sir George Grey (11^th premier of NZ)

Maukatere is the Maori name meaning ‘floating mountain’

This day hike is considered an easy to novice hike taking about 2.5 hours round trip. We took a little longer. Apart from taking a wrong turn on the way down which would have really extended our trip (there are a few tracks you can take) and my own need to catch my breath, once we got to the top it was well worth it!

The weather certainly changed drastically as we reached the summit. We started hiking within the sheltered trees in just t shirts and sweating. Half way through the track became much more open and once we got to the top we were almost getting blown away. Despite the change in weather the views from the top were wonderful!

Make sure to pack a water bottle or two.  Take your time if its your first hike and use the flat parts of the path to recover from the inclines.  I would suggest layering, t-shirt, long sleeve and a light wind proof jacket.  My favourite and best purchase I’ve ever made is my Lululemon jacket.  All their stuff is super breathable especially for these sweaty hikes and cuts the wind without being bulky! I wore a light pair of wind pants (unlined) and was fairly warm (I get cold so easily!) We went up in the middle of December so depending on the time of year will determine what kind of clothes to wear.

Needless to say I’m pretty excited to get out hiking more. This was a great mountain to start on and we will definitely be climbing it again to build our strength so we can tackle the big ones! I highly recommend making your way up this one!