We climbed up from the car park at the gate, past the dam onto the Maitai Valley track, then climbed to the turn off to Dun Saddle.

We arrived at Dun Mountain Shelter for lunch. It was a bit cold so most of us huddled inside the hut. I sat outside in a patch of sunshine to enjoy the view. It always amazes me how otherworldly Dun Mountain feels with its moonscape, devoid of vegetation, with the reddish glow of the mineral belt rocks setting the scene.

From there it was about an hour-and-a-half to Dew Lakes, through cloudy goblin forest with gnarly ratas contrasting the scenery. We had a quick break at the mud puddles that somehow gained the name ‘Dew Lakes.’ (How many people have trundled up there with great expectations, I can only imagine).

Grant rushed off to catch the rugby game that was starting at 4pm, obviously a dedicated fan! The rest of us descended slowly down the slippery track through the Rush Pools and back to the cars, heading home around 5pm.  

Participants: David Cook, Grant Derecourt, Ashley Chin, Michele Cunningham, David and Beth Loe, Kelvin Drew, Kath Ballantine & Kate Krawczyk.