Mount Sunday, Rangitata River
- 1 hr 30 min return by the same track
- Easy
- Car park to Deep Creek bridge: 20 minutes
- Deep Creek bridge to summit: 30 minutes
Short walk to a roche moutonnée, a rocky outcrop in the Rangitata River channel. The hill was used as the location for Edoras in recent Lord of the Rings films.
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Walking time
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1 hr 30 min |
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Distance
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3.0km |
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Type
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Return by the same track
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Grade
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Easy
All significant water channels are bridged. Grades explained
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Bookings
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No bookings — open access
No — open access
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Starts
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Car park, Hakatere Potts Road. Drive across the Potts River bridge, then look for Mount Sunday on the left. |
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Maps
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NZTopo50-BX18
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Altitude
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520m
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611m
Altitude change 91m
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From Lake Clearwater, follow the shingle Hakatere Potts Road across the Potts River. Look for Mount Sunday, the small rocky hill in the river valley a few kilometres past the bridge. A car park is signposted.
A smooth vehicle track sets off across gravel flats -- watch for banded dotterels running about here. A poled foot track breaks away at a bend, and soon crosses a bridge over Deep Creek. This is a popular track, and interpretation panels are mounted here.
The track winds between tussocks and onto a rolling slope next to cliffs. The track climbs onto the narrow spine of Mount Sunday and ascends easily to the summit trig.
Rocks on the summit still bear the scratches made as the Rangitata Glacier rode over the top of the hill. From here, there are spectacular views up the Havelock and Clyde Rivers, as well as the Black Mountain Range to the west and the Ben McLeod Range to the south.
Walking times: