The first William Pike Challenge Award activity took place on Saturday 24 February, where the tamariki walked from Diamond Harbour to the highest point in Banks Peninsula. Written with Katherine B.

We set off from Lyttelton at 8:50am, on board the Black Cat heading for Diamond Harbour. We were ready for a day of hiking - or so we thought! Most of us had hiking shoes and warm layers, which we quickly took off under the hot sun and the steep climb. We were carrying daypacks with water, food, jerseys, rain coats, and sunscreen. 

The ferry docked in Diamond Harbour and sat on the dock to discuss the day ahead. Tim and I (Katherine) were the team leaders for the day and we talked about the hazards of the trip, staying hydrated, and keeping warm. We looked at the maps (we had two different maps) and talked about our navigation for the day. We talked about staying together as a group and about checking the weather regularly. From where we were we could see clouds gathering along the tops.

We set off. The first part of the track was full of blackberry bushes and we helped ourselves! Yum. From there, we crossed over the road and onto the Mt Herbert track proper. The sign said 7 hours return. 

The track was full of tussocks and matagouri. It was steep in some places and was mostly across farmland. There was a stream running next to the track at one point and we talked about whether we should fill up bottles with water or not. 

After a few hours of walking uphill, with flatter bits and steeper bits, we arrived at the top to be greeted by an amazing view. We could see over Lyttelton Harbour and all the way out the Birdling's Flat. We took heaps of photos, had lunch and the cloud came over. 

We walked back down the same way and had enough time in Diamond Harbour to go an get an ice cream.