Leader: Barry James

Although the day dawned fair, there were two of us for this excellent, but energetic, day walk.

Thence by car to the Brook and we started walking at 8:45am through the Redwood grove and onto the old, classic 4WD road which now runs beside the  pest-proof fence.  At Four Corners, we diverted onto the historic Dun Mountain Walkway.

After two hours’ walking on the pleasant bush trail, we reached Third House where we took an extended break in weak sunshine. After tall stories from two blokes on a quad-bike, we chatted with a Waimea TC group, then pressed on up the walkway about a kilometre to Junction Saddle. Here, a track goes left to Fringed Hill and right up the ridge to Wooded Peak. This is quite an extended route, steep in parts and with several minor saddles.

There was some snow all about as we got higher and the bush was dripping wet. No tarrying at the 1111-metre summit, 1.5 hours from the saddle, due to poor views and a chill breeze.

So, off we plunged, down the track along the ridge, towards Windy Point. After emerging from the bush into the ultramafic area, we found a sheltered spot behind some rocks. A late lunch was had in the sunshine with splendid views. There was an amazing diversity of colours in this scene.

At Windy Point we rejoined the Dun Mountain Walkway. The sun fled behind ominous black clouds, so we also fled back down the trail with light rain catching us. We pressed on past Junction Saddle.

We stopped at Third House shelter until the squall declined to light drizzle. An uneventful retracing of our steps down the walkway had us back at the car by 4:30pm. A grand outing into that splendid diversity of bush and mountain country on Nelson’s back door. Trampers were Barry James & Pat Holland (scribe).