Hanmer Adventures: 2 of 3: A visit to the St James Homestead

 Into the Clarence Valley.....

When we decided to visit Hanmer our original plan was to go for a day walk up to the summit of Mt Isobel. I have been to the summit several times now but Karen has never been to the top before. Unfortunately it was extremely windy on the three days we were in Hanmer with +100 kph winds every day. 

The Clarence Valley Road from near Jacks Pass, Mt Isobel, Hanmer (2014)

We did try...we drove up to Jacks Pass and the western approach to the summit of Mt Isobel to see what the conditions were. We were dissuaded by the hunks of tussock, branches and dust blowing past the car and the fact that we could hardly open the car doors at 800 meters asl when the top of Mt Isobel is at 1320 meters asl.

Jacks Pass on the Clarence Valley Road (2014)

Since we were already there I suggested to Karen that we just continue down to the old St James Homestead for a bit of a look around. I have been through the Clarence Valley several times while I was in the Army but Karen the St James is another new area for Karen. 

Map: St James Conservation Area: Jacks Pass to St James Homestead

We often did Army driving and communication exercises in the backcountry areas between Hanmer and St Arnaud along the Rainbow Road. We also drove through nearby Molesworth Station a couple of times which is also amazing bleak and beautiful country. 

Memorably, I was part of a 'keep the troops occupied' group exercise that had us walking from Fowlers Pass up the Waiau Valley and over Waiau Pass into Nelson Lakes NP. That trip and walking the Heaphey Track were two of the fondest memories I have of my Army days. 

The last time I was in the Clarence Valley was in 1991 so nearly thirty years ago....man am I old!!!

Jacks Pass: Jacks Pass Track to the top of Mt Isobel (2014)

We headed along Clarence Valley Road from the car park on Jacks Pass,...it is a narrow gravel road from here to the St James Homestead about 10 kilometers into the Clarence Valley. The road is right next to the Clarence River and there are a number of lay-bys where you can pull over to get down by the river. 

They run rafting trips down the Clarence River but take care if swimming here as the water is icy cold, deep and swift. This is real 'New Zealand death' territory so don't be blaise about messing around with these rivers. 

On Tophouse Road heading for St James Homestead

The road is in good condition...passable by a two wheel car to the St James Homestead. Do take care as there are a number of pot holes, ruts and rougher spots you need to negotiate. In particular the approaches to the bridge at the Clarence Valley Road and Tophouse Road junction are very rough. 

The bridge at the Tophouse-Clarence Valley Road junction...

There are a series of buildings at the St James Homestead site...the oldest are an old musterers hut and outbuildings from the 1920's. They are no longer used but at one time this was the station house for the family that owned this farm. You can walk around them and look into the interior to see how bleak life must have been in those days isolated on this dry and barren backcountry station. 

Historic St James Homestead buildings, St James Conservation Area

St James Station was brought by the Nature Heritage Fund and DOC in the early 2000's and they have invested a lot of cash and effort into opening the land to recreational groups. The main attraction is of course the St James Cycle Trail but there are also tramping, fishing, horse trekking, rafting, hunting and off road driving opportunities in the area. 

Parts of the station are still in use with livestock present so there is a resident farm staff at the St James Homestead site though you will seldom see them as they are busy. 

St James Homestead, St James Conservation Area

The newer station house built in the late 1970's is currently set up as a backcountry hut and is used by a Hanmer based company Pukatea Trekking and Adventures. They run horse trekking expeditions in the area over the summer months and I believe the station house can be rented out as accommodation for a fee. The building is locked as this car park can be reached by road but you can see into the hut through the many windows. 

St James Homestead door, St James Conservation Area

Rear of St James homestead, St James Conservation Area

St James Homestead, St James Conservation Area

Side view of St James homestead, St James Conservation Area

It is well set up inside with tables, a wood burner, and separate bunkrooms with a mixture of bunkbeds, platform beds and single beds. I would estimate you could get 12-16 people into the hut. It has a wood burning stove in the kitchen and water from a set of water tanks at the back of the hut. 

St James Homestead kitchen, St James Conservation Area

St James Homestaed, bedroom 1, St James Conservation Area

St James Homestead bunkroom, St James Conservation Area

The building is set in a patch of exotic trees and on a nice clearing right next to the carpark. There are some contact details for Pukatea Horse Trekking in the front window of the building and they are one of the few official DOC accredited businesses allowed to operate in the valley. 

Nice surrounds for the St James Homestead

Contact details for the St James Homestead

Out the back of the cottage are some historic dog boxes once used to house the working dogs that are such a feature of these backcountry stations. You can also look at the foundations of the original homestead from the 1890's that burnt down at some stage. 

Dog boxes at the St James Homestead

The foundations of the original St James Homestead (circa 1890's)

This is not the actual start of the St James Cycle Trail but the Peters Valley Track starts from here and joins the actual trail a couple of kilometers down the valley. We watched a couple of MTB riders organise their gear and set off down the track. There were a number of cars in the car park with bike racks so I imagine this is what most visitors do. 

You can do a 1-3 hour circuit of this end of the cycleway by riding down the Peter Valley Track, going onto the Edwards Pass Track and then riding back down Tophouse Road to this carpark. That would be about 13 kilometers in all and it is known as the St James Circuit.  

Start of the St James Cycleway at the Homestead

Tophouse Road continues into the Clarence Valley

I have a plan to revisit this area sometime in late summer 2021...I would walk from the Boyle Valley up over Anne Saddle to Anne Hut. Then walk down the Henry Valley to near Ada Homestead where I would pick up the McArthur Track down to Pool Hut. Then it is over the McArthur Bridge to the St James Cycle Trail up and over Edwards Pass to the St James Homestead.

It would be a 4-6 day tramp with nights spent in Boyle Flat Hut, Anne Hut, Pool Hut (recently restored) and finally somewhere near St James Homestead. It is a walk or hitch from there back to Hanmer over Jacks Pass. I have been thinking about it for a couple of years now but the weather usually stymies my plans...Maybe this will be my year!!!

View down the Henry Valley from near Anne Hut (2015)

Looking down the Waiau Valley from near Ada Homestead (2015)

After we had a good look around we jumped back into the car and headed back to Hanmer and our date with the hot pools. It takes about 35 minutes to drive back to Hanmer over the pass and you need to take care as a lot of traffic including MTB riders use the road. 

The Clarence Valley Road down to Hanmer Springs (2014)

If you are ever in Hanmer Springs with a couple of hours to spare and the Clarence Valley Road is open you should think about taking a drive over to check out the St James Homestead. 

Access: From Hanmer Springs head west out of town on Jacks Pass Road, turn on to Clarence Valley Road just past the golf course. From Jacks Pass continue for 12 kilometers to the St James Homestead on Tophouse Road, Clarence Valley

Track Times: Mt Isobel track, 3 odd hours to summit of Mt Isobel, 1.5 hours return to track end on Jacks Pass, 45 minutes to bottom car park.

Miscellaneous: This is an alpine area and the Clarence Valley, Tophouse and Hydro Roads close over the winter months. The roads are navigable by two wheel drive cars to the St James Homestead, after that a 4 W/D vehicle is better. Narrow winding gravel roads, rock fall and snow at certain times of the year. 

Short Walk: Godley Head Loop Track Redux: 22nd April 2019

Another trip to Godley Heads....

 This last weekend I was scheduled to go for a tramp up Mt Herbert with my oldest daughter but due to the inclement weather it was scaled back to a shorter walk on the Port Hills.

Georgia crossing the fence at the Godley Head Loop Track

We decided to go and walk around the defense works at Godley Heads, an excellent short walk in my opinion.

Godley Head Loop Track: map of the whole defense site and the buildings at the campsite

I have previously been out to the defense works on Godley Heads many, many times the latest in late March, but this was the first time Georgia has ever visited the site.

Going clock wise this time....

When Karen and I visited recently we walked the Godley Heads Loop Track in an anti clockwise direction so this time for a change we walked clockwise. I think walking clockwise (...through the campgrounds first...) is a better way to travel, it was certainly easier. 

Godley Head Loop Track: timings on this sign are for the trip to Taylor's Mistake from Godley Head

It was a lot cloudier on the day Georgia and I visited but it was actually much warmer as there was zero wind to contend with.

The car park at the Godley Heads site....holds about 30 cars

Toilet block at the Godley Heads Defense site car park

There is a set of toilets at the car park, there is also a couple of picnic tables and a sheltered spot under some well placed pines if you wanted to sit down for a picnic. 

Decent picnic spot next to the Godley Head car park

From the car park we headed up the campsite access road, this will eventually deposit you down where the coastal gun battery was situated. The gate is locked at all times if you want to gain access to the camp site you need to book a campsite on line and they send you a code for the lock. 

 Georgia was keen to come stay up here as well though she said it would be cold...which it most certainly would...

The road leading to the Godley Heads campsite, the gate is locked....

People walking the tracks can just pop over the stile located next to the gated entrance to the DOC camp site. The track is well signposted and clearly marked so there is no risk of becoming lost. 

Georgia crossing a stile on the Godley Head Loop Track

One of the restored buildings used by DOC at Godley Heads

This map is right next to the Godley Heads camp site

Point of interest, there is a turret off a M3A1 light tank sitting next to the workshop building at Godley Heads. It is missing all of the hatches and the main gun and has numerous 2 pdr shot holes through it but the shape is unmistakable.

The strange thing is New Zealand only used the M3 in North Africa and Europe not in New Zealand or the Pacific (...the New Zealand 3rd Division did some tough fighting in the Solomon Islands...). Gawd knows how it ended up at Godley Head.....very curious....

M3A1 light tank turret next to the old workshop building, Godley Heads

I imagine it was used by the tankers for target practice in Tekapo or up at Waiouru....I read recently the trust also have a couple of heavy anti aircraft guns in one of the sheds, not on display yet but hopefully one day. 

At the Godley Battery site

We went down and had a good look at the defense battery site including inside the gun bunkers....we found a short track that allowed us to circumvent the big fence around the site...enough said about that..

Gun emplacement E1, Godley Heads Defense Installation

There is a massive amount of graffiti on the defense site buildings...it is really poor taste to desecrate these historic sites but unfortunately anything this close to a major city is bound to suffer a lot of damage from assorted idiots. 

Gun emplacement E2, Godley Heads Defense Installation

Georgia and I walked a short distance down the track to Taylor's Mistake so we could see the sea cliffs. I managed to get a couple of good shots of the Taylor Battery gun site. This was the first temporary gun site housing 60 pounder field howitzers in open emplacements but was quickly superseded by the main battery.

The Taylor Battery gun pads from near Godley Heads Battery

 You can see the trees around the main battery position at Godley Head in the background of this photo of Taylor Battery. Once the larger naval cannon were fitted to the Godley Battery this site was abandoned...it was only a temporary fix but it would have provided some protection to Lytelton.

Godley Heads: the 60 pdrs at the Taylor Battery circa 1940.....

View from Godley Head towards Taylor Battery (middle ridge), Taylor's Mistake and Pegasus Bay

We walked back over the ridge and had a look at the main defense installation, you can get a good look through the fence (it is fenced off as the site has suffered earthquake damage) but as promised I went over the fences and took a series of photos of the gun pits, bunkers and emplacements that made up the Godley Battery. 

I do not recommend you do this but the choice is yours, just be careful as some of the ground around here is unstable. 

Map and information panel near Godley Heads Battery, Godley Heads

E1 gun emplacement from the battery access road, Godley Heads Battery

Closer view of E1 emplacement, Godley Heads Battery

Looking down into the magazine for E1 emplacement, Godley Heads Battery

Looking down into the magazine for E1 emplacement, Godley Heads Battery

If you would like to see what the tunnels and underground bunkers look like go to the Coast Central Construction website. They are the firm contracted to restore this site prior to the Christchurch Earthquakes and they have a series of photos of the underground works. 

Interior of the E1 emplacement Godley Heads Battery

The gun pit which house the naval gun in the E1 emplacement at Godley Heads Battery

View out to sea from inside E1 emplacement, Godley Heads Battery

Looking back into E1 emplacement, Godley Heads Battery

Gun crew bunker, next to E1 emplacement, Godley Heads Battery

Inside the Gun crew bunker, next to E1 emplacement, Godley Heads Battery

Ancillary building next to E1 emplacement, Godley Heads Battery

Godley Heads Battery: the E1 emplacement from near the E2 gun pit

Gun emplacement E2 at the Godley Heads Battery

I'm not anti graffiti style art...some of it is very good but this historic place is not the right place to paint it. I don't like the graffiti painted here but at least the one below is topical...a Maori soldier in World War Two gear.

I think this one is nicely done....

Godley Heads Battery: a nice graffiti painted at the E2 emplacement

The interior of E2 emplacement at the Godley Heads Battery

Godley Heads Battery: a powder bag chute at the E2 emplacement

The last of the gun emplacements at Godley Heads (E3) was open topped so it had the maximum arc of fire. If they had built overhead cover it would not have been able to swing to the north to cover the beaches of Pegasus Bay

The gun housed here was powerful enough to lob a shell as far north as the mouth of the Waimakiriri River/Woodend about 20-25 odd kilometers away. 

Gun emplacement E3 at the Godley Heads Defence Installation

The main entrance to the underground bunker system is located in between the E2 and E3 battery positions. It would be good if the bunkers were opened to the public but they were five stories underground so perhaps they may have been damaged by the 2010/2011 earthquakes. 

Stairs to the main magazine, Godley Heads Defense Installation

E3 had protective bunkers to its rear for the gun crew but I bet this was the gun they put all the people on the 'shithouse list' into as it was the most exposed to the elements.  There are massive scuppers at the rear of the pit to clear all the rain that must have poured into the gun emplacement.

Hey...the military don't build features unless required....

Godley Heads Defense Installation: the open topped E3 gun pit

Godley Heads Defense Installation: Gun E3 could shoot as far as the Waimakiriri River

After we had a good look around the gun installations Georgia and I headed down to the Observation Post No. 2 further down the track. 

Heading down to Observation Post No. 2

We jumped back onto the Godley Heads Loop Track and headed down hill towards the No. 2 Observation Post. It is a bit of a steep track with that really fine gravel DOC use so it is a bit slippery.  It would be around 1 kilometer from the gun battery site to the observation bunker. 

Walking away from Godley Battery, on the Godley Heads Loop Track

Godley Heads Loop Track: the trees that surround the Godley Battery emplacements from down the track

Looking out towards the entrance to Port Levy from the Godley Heads Loop Track

We stopped and had a look at Observation Post No. 2...this cliff side post controlled the battery of searchlights located at water level at the base of the cliffs. It was also the communication nexus for the main battery and the various defense posts scattered around the area.

You used to be able to walk down to the search light battery but a huge chunk of the cliff fell on them and squashed them in the 2011 earthquake....

Sign for Battery Observation Post No. 2 on the Godley Heads Loop Track

The people on top of this post are really stupid: there is a 100 meter drop immediately in front of the post. If they or the dogs fell off that roof they would die...no questions about it. In fact there is a DOC sign at the site which says "Do not sit on this roof. Fall Danger"

Do not do this yourself!!!

Godley Heads Loop Track: Observation Post No. 2 at Godley Heads

Panel about the defunct light house that once resided near Godley Heads

View from inside Observation Post No, 2 on the Godley Heads Loop Track

Inside Observation Post No. 2, Godley Head Loop Track

Panel describing the work undertaken at Observation Post No. 2, Godley Heads Loop Track

We headed up the hill towards the power generation and battery fire control/plotting buildings closer to the car park. The track is uphill for all of the way back but the slope is a lot easier to climb than the one to the battery site as the gradient is gentle. 

View of Lytelton Harbor and Purau Bay from the Godley Head Loop Track

Godley Head Loop Track: view out to Lytelton Harbor mouth

Georgia on the Godley Head Loop Track with Lytelton in background

Clearer view of Lytelton Heads from the Godley Head Loop Track

There are great views from Godley Head of the surrounding area and the still day meant we could see the details a lot clear than the last time I was here. 

At the generator and plotting buildings

Mid way between the Observation Post and the car park are a series of command and control buildings for the defense installation. There is a workshop/power generator, a battery observation and a scale model shot plotting room. 

All these buildings were an integrated part of the defense works and would have housed soldiers,  WREN's/WAAC's and assorted naval personal over the course of the war. 

Inside the generator room at the Godley Heads defense site

As you can see the Armour on the windows and doors is about 5-8mm thick...not enough to deflect large naval rounds but good enough for shrapnel and bullets. 

Thinly armored door on the generator room, Godley Heads defense site

An interpretative panel inside the Godley Heads generator room, Godley Head Loop Track

Godley Head Loop Track: the generator room

The battery fire control room was where a group of military personal would have controlled the fire of the guns if anyone had tried to enter Lytelton Harbor. They were located around this side of the peninsula to protect them from any fire directed at the main gun sites atop the ridge line. 

They must have had a top notch telephone network to link all of these posts as radio technology was a lot more primitive in those days..expensive, complex, hard to use and not very reliable. 

Interpretive panel inside the battery plotting room at Godley Heads

The miniature plotting room was for training the gunners and their officers, a large scale model of Lytelton Harbor and Godley Heads allowed the gunners a chance to practise their skills. Models of ships were moved across the plotting model and the fall of 'shot' was shown by small wooden pegs inserted into the plotting model from below. 

This is still how they train naval gunners abet it is now computer simulated...

Godley Head Loop Track: inside the miniature range room, our earlier visit

An explanation of how the battery plotting worked, Godley Heads defense site

An explanation of how the battery plotting worked, Godley Heads defence site

Its great that DOC and the Godley Head Heritage trust leave these buildings open as they have always been closed up to this point. 

Walking back to the Godley Head car park

From the defense buildings it is a short 10 minute stroll to get back up to the Godley Head car park, it is uphill but a easy gradient. There were a lot of people out walking on this section of the track as it is the closest to the car park. 

Looking at the range, plotting and generator rooms at the Godley Head site

Godley Heads Loop Track, heading down towards the defense buildings

If you walk the track in an anti clockwise direction there is a very good information panel just near the start of the track. Make sure you stop and have a look as it makes the history of the buildings and installations a lot easier to understand. 

Godley Heads Loop Track: map of the whole defense installation at Godley Head

Lots of people waking on the Godley Heads Loop Track

The whole track is 5.5 km's long and takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour to complete. 

Godley Head Loop Track....5.5km's from one end to the other

Godley Head car park...a lot less cars as the afternoon progressed!

Again, this is an awesome weekend short walk, bring the kids out for a look but take care on that road from Evans Pass and keep a tight hold of any children along the cliff sides. 

Access: From Summer take the Evans Pass road, then turn left onto Summit Road heading out to Godley Heads. The road is narrow, winding with drop offs on the downhill side. Exercise caution as it can be busy and some of the other drivers are not very courteous. 

Track Times: From the car-park it is 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete the Godley Heads Loop Track, all tracks are well marked and signposted. 

Campsite Details:  DOC ranger on site over summer, water tank, toilets

Miscellaneous: The campsite is on the DOC booking system, must be booked for overnight visit. Public toilets at the camp site and at the car-park.