So I recently hiked Castle Hill in New Zealand and was blown away by the scenery. The hike was relatively relaxed and I think it’s something that people should definitely experience when they visit the country. I initially thought that the hike would be hard but it ended up being a breeze that I think even older people would enjoy the experience.
Castle Hill: A Magical Experience in New Zealand
There are a number of ways to get to Castle Hill or the Kura Tawhiti Conservation Area. If you have access to one, a car is going to be the most convenient. Conversely, it’s also possible to just join the numerous tour groups that go here as a lot of those typically include transportation and in some instances, lunch. Once you’ve reached the Castle Hill Carpark and before you embark on your trek, you’ll come across this signboard. It basically talks about the area’s significance as well as reminds visitors to respect this by not littering, keeping the area clean, and respecting the sacred places/objects they’ll come across.
Speaking of sacred objects, here’s a number of installations that will greet you after you move out of the car park. I tried searching up what these were and found that these were called Pou Whenua.
After taking the picture of the Pou Whenua, I turned right and was immediately enamored by the view here. The brown grass and the cloudy sky just seemed to really mesh well. For some reason, it kind of felt like I was in an alien yet at the same time welcoming environment. Really, it’s kind of hard to put into words what you’ll feel when you see this view.
I guess one reason why I thought this was an alien environment was because there were no trees in sight. Well, at least up until I came across this stump just a couple of meters into the hiking trail. Now that I think about it, the presence of the tree stump here is even more surprising considering the area is known to not support their growth because of the high altitude as well as a rocky basin environment.
Here’s a look at the type of environment I was talking about in the previous image. Now it’s not like plants can’t grow here as there are shrubs that do thrive in the environment (but if you want to know more about plants here in New Zealand, you can read my post about Christchurch Botanic Gardens). I’ve also seen pictures of when the stump earlier was still a tree and it actually was quite large.
Here’s an infographic talking about the people who previously made their homes and livelihoods in the Castle Hill area. The first half of the first sentence of the inscription here was particularly poignant because of how true it was. I’ve seen numerous landscapes and views over the course of my travels. What I saw here at Castle Hill was honestly one of the most awe-inspiring.
I mean just look at this! Granted the sky was overcast when I took this picture but I think it still manages to evoke a sense of awe when you look at it. And the way the sky is reflected on the puddle is just really cool. Up until this point I’d only been hiking for a short while but I already knew that this experience was going to be special.
Speaking of special, would you look at that! Now I kind of get why this is called Castle Hill. From here, the rock face just looks like it’s the walls to a castle fortress. It’s honestly such a surreal feeling that seemingly everywhere I look there’s a stunning view for my eyes to feast on.
So I’d recently been to the Three Natural Bridges in Wulong and the rock formations there had this rough texture to them. Here it was quite different. The rock here seemed much smoother even though it’s also limestone karst.
The karst formations at Wulong’s Three Natural Bridges are admittedly much larger in scale but that doesn’t mean Castle Hill’s is smaller. As you can see in the image, it’s still absolutely huge. Just look at how awfully small the three people in the lower right hand corner of the image looks like in contrast to the rock face.
It was at this time that I suddenly remembered one of my favorite movies. I distinctly remember the first part of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers featured Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli chasing the Uruk-hai across a similar looking landscape. Considering the LotR franchise was shot in New Zealand, my initial thoughts was that this was part of the films’ shooting locations.
It turns out, I was actually quite wrong. There’s actually no mention online of the LotR films being shot here. The first Chronicles of Narnia film was actually shot close by at Flock Hill though and that place does have a lot of similarities to this one. Anyway, regardless if blockbuster Hollywood films were shot here or not, the important thing is that it’s been beautifully maintained and conserved.
Aside from being awe-inspiring, there’s a certain sense of calm that you get while walking here. Anyway, before I wax poetic here’s another unique formation that I came across halfway through the path leading to the Castle Hill area. Called Croaker Rock, this rock formation totally looked like a humungous toad from afar.
Across the path from Croaker Rock is the foot of Spittle Hill which I was standing on while taking this picture. From this angle, Castle Hill looked much more like serrated teeth. And while the ground does look overcast from where I’m standing, there were parts of the sky that looked really bright like in the picture above.
Anyway, here’s a glimpse of Spittle Hill with parts of Castle Hill in the background. So if you’re wondering, this is actually way off the main path that you saw me treading and taking pictures of earlier. There’s still a path here leading to Castle Hill though it’s not as wide.
Now Spittle Hill might not be as popular as its neighbor but it’s still pretty nice to look at. If you’re feeling adventurous then I’d suggest you climb up because it does feature some really nice views as well. And no, I’m not just talking about views while you’re climbing up.
The views from below that greet you when you’ve already climbed up are also quite nice. In fact, I actually even got to see a rainbow from here. How cool is that? Now admittedly, this isn’t very high up as I was admittedly a little scared of falling down.
I eventually went back to the main pathway and came across another sign. This time, the inscription talks about how the area used to be a part of the ocean. Now, this happened millions of years ago and eventually the limestone rock under the ocean was pushed up thanks to plate tectonics doing its thing. Another interesting tidbit mentioned here was the existence of 3 meter long eagles that hunted the moa that used to roam this land.
Another piece of media that reminded me of this view was a PS2 era videogame called Shadow of the Colossus. Wait up, am I giving away my age by saying this?! Joking aside, the terrain here really does remind me of the open world in that game.
At first glance, you’d think this is just an ordinary image featuring the landscape here. If you look closely though, there’s actually a herd of sheep in the foreground. Now the land where the sheep are grazing isn’t part of the Conservation Area. If you noticed earlier, this is actually fenced off and I doubt visitors like me are allowed to get inside.
So I don’t think I’ve ever talked about this yet but New Zealand is one of the weirdest countries I’ve ever visited personally. Like how does it have more sheep than humans? Seriously, there’s around 23+ million sheep to just around 5 million people in this country. That’s a whopping 4-5 sheep for every person which is kind of mind boggling to be honest.
At the end of the day though, the sheep to human ratio doesn’t take away from the fact that this country is absolutely beautiful. Now I’ve finally managed to get to the path in the conservation area and boy is it a sight to behold. I was actually quite fortunate to have the morning sun peep through when I took this shot.
So I’m not sure if you’ve noticed it yet but the white spots on this wall’s face is actually man made. The Conservation Area is quite dry making it one of the best places for bouldering and rock climbing enthusiasts. Those white spots are from the chalk those guys use to allow them to grip the rock better.
I’ve always wondered why people get into rock climbing and looking up at this rock face, I kind of got the appeal. I remember how British mountaineer George Mallory replied “because it’s there” to a question asking him about why he wanted to scale Mount Everest. What I’m looking up at isn’t Mount Everest mind you but I still felt a kind of urge to “conquer” (for lack of a better term) it. Thankfully I didn’t act on this urge as I’m sure I would have fallen down rather quickly if I climbed this even with equipment.
Instead of climbing, I did the more sensible thing and followed the hiking trail. Again, this was a very relaxed hike and I’m pretty sure it would be enjoyable for both kids and even the more elderly visitors. There are steep areas but they’re still very hikeable for any one that’s able-bodied regardless of their age.
So I was looking at pictures of the Conservation Area online and I couldn’t seem to find shots with this fence on. I’m also not quite sure when and why they cordoned off this area. My guess is that visitors might have done something to the surroundings here that was against the Conservation Area’s regulations.
Another probable reason for this is to limit bouldering and climbing enthusiasts from going up on some of the rocks here. The constant activity on the rock faces can actually lead to faster erosion and damage so roping off some of the areas here is understandable. Additionally, I think this also helps prevent hikers from actually falling down from the trail.
At this point in the hike, my option was to go either to the left route or the much more challenging right route of this part of the hiking trail. When I checked, the route shown on the image (the left) seemed like the much more relaxed option. Moreover, this route had these rock formations that looked very similar to the gates of a castle.
Once I got closer, I saw that there was actually a set of stairs here. I was told that if you followed this, it would then bring you to an area behind the hill that was called the Quantum Field. Now I’m not going to spoil how that looked but suffice to say, it was even more eerie (though in a good way) than the area I was in now.
Again, you’ll notice a lot of the boulders and rock formations here have those white chalk stains. I’ve read that a huge reason for Castle Hill’s popularity is that it’s got plenty of spots for both beginner and advanced rock climbers to challenge. Unfortunately today wasn’t that great of a day for this activity as the overcast sky did give way to a little drizzle.
Another thing that I forgot to mention is that it’s going to be really windy here. Remember, this place is 700 meters above sea level. You saw earlier how close we were to the clouds and with that, you also get strong winds. If you do end up visiting during the same time of the year that I did then make sure to also bring your jacket or maybe even a poncho.
The hike up the stairs was very manageable and I don’t think you’ll have any issues especially if you’re mindful of where you’re treading. Even with the slight drizzle, the ground still stayed compact and I didn’t really worry about slipping. About halfway I then took a shot of this area to my left.
Now if you want to get to the highest parts of Castle Hill then you can turn to your right from the stairs and you’ll see this trail. Take note though that this is well worn so try to be extra careful. You’ll also notice that it only has makeshift stairs which you might want to ditch for the sloping path beside it instead.
From the stairs I then headed straight to the Quantum Field I was talking about earlier. At this point the wind was still strong and there was still a slight drizzle. That said, the climate here is very dry and moisture from even rain typically dries out in less than an hour.
Of course not all moisture evaporates as some are collected in this little area in the Quantum Field. The puddle is probably less than a foot deep and is probably the lowest point of this area (which might explain why the water pools there). Honestly, it kind of reminded me of those desert watering holes that you’d see in the movies.
Up close, the water here was surprisingly clear. That said, I really wouldn’t recommend drinking this. New Zealand has high quality and accessible healthcare but it’s reserved mainly for its citizens. You don’t want to end up spending more for your hospital bills than for your vacation.
From here at the Quantum Field I can actually see the place where I climbed up the stairs earlier (around the middle of the image). The rock formations you see here also seem much more “alien” looking and a little bit eerie. This together with the wind and the drizzle made the atmosphere of this place feel otherworldly.
After checking out the Quantum Field, I decided to go back to where I entered. Now, it’s possible to also just turn around and continue with the track (as it actually circles back to the fork in the trail). I actually liked this section of the trail though so I ended up going back here instead.
Another reason for my choosing to go through this way was the drizzle. I was becoming a little annoyed by it and I wasn’t sure if the rest of the trail going around Castle Hills was going to be safe. On a side note, I think the boulders in this section are probably some of the more popular ones considering the chalk stains on them.
Here’s what the side of the path I was taking looked like. Again, you’ll notice plenty of those chalk stains on the boulders here. On a side note, I actually looked up when would be the best time to come here if I was into bouldering/rock climbing. Turns out, I was just in time for climbing season (which runs from April to October). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see anyone climbing here when I visited.
If you do decide to come to Castle Hill or as the locals call it Kura Tawhiti for climbing, make sure to check the weather report first. Even if it’s climbing season, the weather is always going to have its way. Thankfully I don’t actually boulder or climb so I wasn’t really concerned with the weather during my visit.
So at this point, I think I had already spent around 10 or 15 minutes walking the trail. Despite the time, I actually felt like I’d been here for much longer. There’s really just so much to see here that you tend to forget the passage of time.
Speaking of time, you can actually finish this whole track in around 20 or 30 minutes depending on how fast you’re walking. Would you believe that it’s only 1.4 kilometers long starting from the Carpark. Additionally, the walk around Castle Hill itself isn’t that long or winding. It’s actually the walk from the Car Park to the fork in the trail that makes up for the 1.4 kilometer length.
Here’s how the stairs look from its top-most section. Like I said earlier, going up was relatively uneventful. It was really when you got to the top that you’ll find yourself pausing for a bit to admire the view from here.
Now before I went down, I decided to check out the views near the top of Castle Hill. One of the first things I noticed was the path that was to my left as I was looking down from atop the stairs. I immediately thought that this is probably one of the harder routes to walk up here. That said, I don’t think this would be a problem for anyone who’s used to trekking and hiking.
Not only is this path a little steep, it also doesn’t have stairs making it imperative that you don’t lose your footing while climbing up. Now I’ve seen older people get up this way easily. Still, you might want to err on the side of caution and not go up if your age or that of your companion’s are a little advanced.
If you do decide to go up though, you’ll be rewarded with even more awesome views. This one shows a part of Spittle Hill in the background with another hill (or is it a mountain?) in the distance. In the middle ground, you might also notice the huge boulders I passed by going up this trail.
Here you can see the chalk stains on the rocks/boulders up close. I’m not quite sure if bouldering competitions are held here. I do know that there are competitions held in Christchurch (based on my research) but those are usually held indoors.
This is opposite the rock formation shown in the previous image. There’s also a pathway here that leads to higher ground. I didn’t bother going up here as I was really looking to go back at this point.
So I always wondered what the vertical stain on these rocks was called. I’d already seen similar staining in Wulong Karst but I never got around to asking others about it. Well, that’s until the day of my visit here. Apparently, this is called a patina and it’s a result of mineral staining on the limestone.
At this point, the weather was getting a little better though the skies were still overcast. I actually wanted to get up this pathway but then decided not to. My worry was that it would rain and I’d end up having a hard time getting down.
As I was contemplating on whether to get down already, I then caught a glimpse of the Southern Alps. Well, at least one of the mountains that make up the range. It honestly looked quite impressive from this spot though it was kind of interesting that it didn’t seem like it was covered in that much snow considering it was winter when I visited.
I can’t believe how positively this trek started and was immediately dampened by the light drizzle. At this point, I was quite ready to get down. Despite the damp weather, I think I still got to enjoy the trek so I was ready to call it a day.
Then I saw the clouds slowly giving way and allowing me to get a better glimpse of the Southern Alps. Now, you’re probably thinking “why does this person want to see these mountains so much?” If you’ve been following my writeups this past year or so, you’ve probably noticed my love for movies.
I’ve referenced multiple movies over the past couple of months but I think the one that I think I weaved into my writeups the most in that time was The Lord of the Rings. Well, the Southern Alps was one of the locations featured in those movies and I finally got to see it! Granted, it wasn’t the clearest of shots but I’m still happy that I got to see a location from one of the movies I grew up watching.
Here’s one of the final pictures I took of the Southern Alps (or part of it, I guess). Even with clouds obscuring parts of the range, I still think it looks nice. More than anything though, there was a kind of nostalgia that this scene evoked that I don’t remember “feeling” with the numerous views that I’d seen during my travels.
After appreciating the view of the Southern Alps, I finally decided to go down. Here I came across another noteworthy view, this time of Spittle Hill. Now I’m not really sure how it got this name. My guess is that the rocks here weren’t as large as those that you’d find in the main Conservation Area? Whatever the case may be, it’s still an interesting sight to behold.
From here I can now glimpse the first set of stairs that I climbed earlier. At this point, the drizzle was slowly starting to go away. It was still overcast but the quality of the light was so much better and my pictures were starting to get a little crisper and more focused.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence of how the light quality became better is this picture of the side of the stairs with the Southern Alps (I think this was the final picture of it that I took) in the background. Hopefully when you do visit here, you don’t get to experience what I went through. I mean, I still enjoyed being here but I think it would’ve been nicer if the sun was out the whole time.
Finally, here’s a closeup of the stairs. After climbing hundreds of steps combined during my Japan and China trips, the hike up these stairs was definitely much easier. If there’s one thing I would’ve wanted though is that they installed similar steps going up to the highest points of Castle Hill.
After this picture I immediately found myself walking on the trail leading back to the Carpark. If I were to sum up this experience in one word it would be: magical. Despite the wind and drizzle, I found the walk to be relatively laid back. There really was no sense of urgency for this excursion and I think it’s one of the things that made this special. Do I think the place is a must-visit? I actually do (just like the Tasman River). It’s relatively easy to get here and if you’re coming from Christchurch, there are plenty of buses and shuttles available.
What do you think of Castle Hill? If you’ve ever been to this place then please share your experience with us! We’ll be waiting for you down in the Comments Section.
