Searching for my happy place

Volcanic dyke at Witch Hill.

I took a little trip today up into the hills behind Christchurch, partly to find a memorial for a man that I have been studying for a "Research a soldier" project for WW100 commemorations, and partly to rediscover one of my happy places. I have visited the memorial before,  finding it by accident when I lost the Crater Rim walkway path one day several years ago. What I didn't know until now was that it commemorates the life of Frederick Andrew Anderson, a local man who died at Messine's Ridge in 1917. (I'll write more about Frederick Anderson in another post).

This is the Summit Road, which is now closed to vehicular traffic from this point on, owing to the unstable state of the road and surrounding bluffs after the earthquake. Cyclists and walkers are still permitted there, and enjoy this section of the road free from motorised idiots.

View down into Lyttelton Harbour from the car-park. The impressive peak at right is Te Poho O Tamatea, the breast of Tamatea. Tamatea was a notable Maori explorer who walked along the skyline here. Several of the volcanic outcrops locally have an association with his name. The library has more information on Tamatea and his adventures here at http://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/ti-kouka-whenua/te-upoko-o-kuri/

This is Witch Hill, fronted by an impressive volcanic dyke, where molten lava squeezed up through a radial crack in the volcano's wall. In the weekends, this wall is a great attraction for rock climbers. The track down into the valley at the left is Rapaki Track, a "paper" road (only a road on paper, not in fact) that leads down to my home suburb, very popular with cyclists, runners and walkers. I have walked this, but I'm not really fit enough now. The track was used in olden times by the Maori people to get to and from Rapaki, the settlement down in Lyttelton Harbour, to the flatlands of the plain.

The other side of the Harbour. Quail Island, Mounts Bradley and Herbert.

I didn't go up to the Memorial today, as it is quite rough and I didn't have my boots on or any food and drink. You can just see the memorial on the skyline right of centre on the top of Witch Hill. The peaks in the distance are The Tors, another eroded outcrop on the lip of the old volcano. There is an old quarry on the right hand side of the photo; the stone from here built roads and buildings in Christchurch. The second car from the left is my car. Quite an impressive landscape, beautiful on a nice day like today, but a killer in bad weather.

 The herb horehound grows wild up here, liking the sun and the sharp drainage. I picked some for winter teas; apparently it is very good for coughs and sore throats, although it can give you the runs if taken too often. Along with thyme, it used to be an ingredient in cough-drops called Hacks, which Mum used to doctor me with in childhood. In winter I was always sent to school with a Hack to suck, to "keep the cold off" my chest.

Hopefully, I will visit the memorial at some other time. The weather is closing in now, and the road up to the carpark is often icy until midday, a bit scary when you have a drop on one side!