Containing the South Island's Largest city, Christchurch, the region is dominated by the Canterbury Plains, but vertical relief can be found at the west of the region, in the foothills of the Southern Alps and also in the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula.

Seaward Kaikora Range

Two hours to the north of Christchurch the coast and the mountains collide at Kaikora, where the Kaikora Ranges contain some of the highest mountains outside of the Main Divide. We took a weekend trip up here to climb Mount Fyffe and stay at a bushline hut.

Mount Somer

One hour to the south of Christchurch, Mount Somers is one of the Larger foothills of the Southern Alps reaching nearly 1700m. The Mount Somers Sub Alpine Walkway sidles the West and North sides of the hill, we combined this with a traverse of the summit plateau.

For Winter 2006 (June - September), I lived in Christchurch. Access to the Port Hills, The Coast and The Banks Peninsula was less than an hour from my home. Most of the photographs in this Gallery are from short trips, right on my doorstep.

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