Mt Malita (959m) in Aniseed Valley is a challenging day walk within close range of the city. The summit is a hard slog involving n early 800 m of elevation gain (at an average gradient of 15%), but you will be rewarded with stunning views of Tasman Bay and access to some intriguin g limestone formations. Forestry road access to within short distance of th e summit allows Mt Malita to be climbed by foot.
Th e track starts on the other side of Roding River. Thankful ly the swingbridge which was washed away in Feb 2018 has been replaced by n ew concrete road bridge. Fll out the intentions book, located at the inform ation panel across the river from the car park.
Once over Roding River head right on Summit Rd. After 1.2 km Old Malita Rd forks off to the right. Continue on Summit Rd as it continues winding stee ply up through the pine forest for 2.5 km to 575 m elevation, at which poin t it reconnects with Old Malita Rd. Summit Rd continues to a skid site at 7 25 m elevation, where the road splits three ways; Burridge Rd heads left, S par Rd heads right, but to get to the summit, head up the unnamed rough-loo king road that climbs straight up the spur through felled pine that is now overgrown with gorse. The next few hundred metres are steep. The road dips briefly into a low saddle that marks the end of the forestry block, and the n climbs again through regenerating native trees and scrub.
The 4WD e nds and a walking track climbs steeply up the bank on the left, heading straight up the hill through tall grass, limestone outcrops, and long-dead tree trunks and stumps. The summit is located at the top of t he ridge next to the bush edge and is marked by a survey pipe in a limeston e outcrop. Just south of the summit there is a two-bunk hut (owned by Nelso n City Council) nestled next to the tree line. It is now left unlocked, and quite a few folk overnight here.
Just below the summit there i s a small concrete platform built in 1962 to support a telescope housed in a shelter. This was used by the University of Pennsylvania to investigate t he suitability of Mt Malita as a site for an astronomical observatory. Too much light pollution from Nelson and Richmond prevented this from becoming a reality, and instead Mt John near Lake Tekapo was selected as a more appr opriate location.
My plan is to go off-track along the ridge to visit Mt Meares :-)
Time: 5-6 hrs walkin g. Elevation Gain: 700m. Distance: 10km to Malita & return.