Our club tradition for 90 years was to meet at the Church Steps. From here, we drove 14km up to the dam. From the footbridge over the Maitai River, our party followed the 4WD road along the South Branch for a while, before the gentle but taxing climb that zig-zags up the spur above Windtrap Gully. A woman raced past us – it was Linda’s daughter, a champion ultra-runner.
After three hours, Mark decided he wasn’t fit enough, so returned to his vehicle. We then moved faster up the direct but steeper track to reach Dun Saddle after 3.5 hours. A short sharp climb put us on Dun Mountain, straining to locate the green Dun Hut in thickening mist. About 4 hours had elapsed when our crew slipped in the door for a well-deserved lunch, out of the cold, moisture-laden tempest.
Ray howled with laughter when young Anna asked Jannes an oxymoronic question: ‘Are there any mountains in the Netherlands? Jannes wouldn’t know a contour if he fell over one, but he proved to be an excellent navigator.
We were finishing lunch when our club president arrived with a troop of eight ‘randoms’. They’d been driven up to Maungatapu Saddle, then traversed the Bryant Range on foot. We vacated the diminutive shelter to make room for Graeme’s party. Donning raincoats, we snatched a hurried group photo.
As we pushed through swirling cloud, Jannes searched for bent-over marker poles to guide us across the ultramafic plateau. Dropping down a rocky path, we reached a small clearing, then began the tedious ridge climb towards our next objective. Little Twin took the stuffing out of the older trampers, but the forest lined with green moss was especially beautiful.
We eventually walked into the flat gravel expanse where the Dew Lakes are hidden amongst the grasses. Anna had been expecting ‘blue’ lakes, and a possible swim, but she was somewhat disappointed. The rutted, rooty track down the ridge to the argillite quarry
was slippery and slow-going.
A break near Rush Pools gave us time for a chitchat about our national drink. At last the sun appeared through the scrappy bush as we descended abruptly to the forestry roads which led us back to the dam. We’d come full circle.
Team: Ray Salisbury & Linda
Visitors: Jannes, Paul, Anna, Helen & Mark.
Notes:
- Boots would have offered better protection in the brutal terrain of the mineral belt. Trail shoes got wet and our feet took a battering.
- Dun Hut is in good nick and can shelter 6 people, seated. The water tank was full & tap was functional.