Late last month I took a trip up to Gore to explore a hidden gem which I had recently learned about. Croydon Bush is a small reserve to the north of Gore with a series of hiking and biking trails which connect through dense forest. The tracks I walked were the Middle Ridge track to East peak returning via Grants Knob.
The forest started out at a carpark just below the main peak. After a short steam crossing, the climb up the hill began. It was a medium incline, but the track was well formed for a conservation area. There were roots underfoot and it was a bit of a grunt for my unfit body to make it up the hill.
After 45 minutes or so I popped above the bushline onto some jagged rocks which continues on towards some lovely rolling tussock covered tops. By this point the cold southerly was hitting me head on and I began to shiver a bit. After putting on my warm coat, I continued north to the junction with the Richardsons track which leads up to East Peak. I turned onto the trail and continued up to the trig at the summit.
After reaching the summit I sat on the sheltered side of the hill for about half an hour and enjoyed a small snack as I looked out over south towards Gore and east towards Clinton. To the west were views across to the Takatimu Mountains and further toward Fiordland. The views were stunning and I could see a small patch of snow forming under the dark clouds in the distance to the south. Although its not an incredibly tall peak at 627m, it was still a great experience being up there.
A traveller I passed on the trail had told me about some difficulty in returning via the Richardson track, so I decided to return to the junction and head towards Grants Knob to loop back. As I looped back around I was caught by suprise when a trail runner rushed up behind me. I thought to myself that I must come back to try a trail run here in summer, but was suprised she was doing it given how boggy and slippery some parts of the track were at this point.
I descended slightly back into the bush and crossed over another stream. It was in fact the same stream as earlier, but higher up the mountain. The track meandered for about 25 minutes before reaching Grants knob, a clearing with views mostly towards the west and back towards the summit. I sat here for about 15 minutes to refuel on snacks and water before heading down the gentle track back to the car park. Altogether it was a great day to explore!
