Flag Peak ZL3/CB-737 and Lavericks ZL3/CB-757 25 May 2019

This is a favourite double activation of mine and is XYL-approved too!  We set off at 7:30am from a very foggy Kaiapoi and arrived in sunny Akaroa just before 10am. I dropped Francie and her Mum off at the main wharf where they spent a happy morning shopping and looking around. I headed up Rue Balguerie and then Stony Peak Road, arriving at the saddle in good time. The Misty Peaks track starts 100m back down the road from the carparking area. This is a very easy 20 minute walk along a wide, marked track with great views down to Akaroa and across to Carews Peak where Ian ZL3GIG was headed. Follow the track past the summit until you get to a gate, turn left at this point and follow the easy ridge up to the summit. This is all on reserve land and there is very little spear grass or gorse (unlike if you leave the track too early!) Set up and QRV by 10:30am using my 450 Ohm window line Slim Jim and 41' endfed. Worked locals on 2m including Mark on Balcksmith Spur ZL3/CB-440 and Ian on Carews Peak ZL3/CB-746. HF produced John ZL1BYZ on ZL1/WK-158 Puketutu and  Bill VK1MCW on VK1/AC-041. I couldn't work John ZL3MR on Coopers Knob, probably due to the big lump of rock between us! 17 contacts in all and I packed up at 11:15am to head back to Akaroa for lunch.

View of Akaroa from Flag Peak

Had lunch in Akaroa and then Long Bay Road and around the Summit Road to Lavericks carpark (Otepatotu Scenic reserve). Mark called me on 2m simplex from his second summit, Coal Hill ZL3/CB-419 as we pulled into the carpark. It was too cold for him to hang around until I got to the top so I worked him from the car as a Chaser. Lavericks is a fairly steep but short climb of about 20 minutes, I was set up quickly on the top and worked Ian on Carews Peak S2S. Still no wind so I bungeed my pole to a fence post and started on HF. This produced plenty of contacts including N6WT in California on 17m CW. The 41' endfed is a great antenna for working DX. Another 14 QSOs in the log. I packed up at 2:28pm and headed home via Little River for a coffee and look around the gallery. A really great day for me, Francie and Anne enjoyed themselves too.

Thanks to all the other activators and chasers!

 Pole bungeed to fence and view of Duvauchelles Bay

You don't often see this wind turbine stationary!

Ladbrooks Hill ZL3/CB-618 11 May 2019

First activation of this hill along with John ZL3MR.
It's a nice walk - permission required from the landowner for the first part of the track which crosses private land. You can do it all via the conservation area but it's a very steep and largely unformed start to the track.

Weather was great - unlike the rest of Christchurch which was swathed in low cloud, we were warm, sunny and no wind!
Plenty of contacts on 2m and HF, including two all the way to the USA! We both activated the summit successfully.

Bare pipe trig, covered in scrub

Panorama showing a clagged in Canterbury Plains

Mt Karetu 4th May 2019

This was the first activation of Mt Karetu ZL3/CB-650 in the North Canterbury foothills. Permission is required from Paul Spark 027 220 1839 to climb this summit. 

 
Ian ZL3GIG and I left Kaiapoi at 8am on a cool autumn morning and drove to the top of Okuku Pass in just under an hour. The climb to the summit is relatively easy, head up the spur along a fenceline and then walk around the tops to the summit. Takes about an hour.

The summit upon arrival. unusual trig and abandoned repeater site

 

 It was a nice day up there but with a stiff northerly wind. We set up on the Southern side and admired the panoramic view from Mt Grey in the East to the Southern alps in the West.

We quickly had our radio gear set up and worked 52 contacts on VHF (27) and HF 40m and 20m (25). Equipment: VHF - 2m handhelds and HF - KX2 using a 41' endfed and 9:1 UNUN. We both qualified the summit and departed around 12:30pm for an uneventful descent.

Pig sign near the summit

This is a very nice summit and people with a reasonable level of fitness could tackle it. The landowner is good to deal with.