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!
