Leader: Lawrie Halkett
Sunday morning dawned fine, but very misty.
A group of five hikers met at Lawrie’s place and proceeded up Jimmy Lee Creek. It is a lovely bush gully walk, starting with an interesting bird hide not far in off Hill Street.
The gully begins as regenerating scrub hardwoods, most of which Kate and Marie were able to identify, until the second section where Lawrie was able to point out Tawa and Matai. David, Kate and Marie started swapping jokes and one was obviously so funny that David lost his footing and took a dive downhill.
Not to be outdone, Marie threw some clothing down the hill and Lawrie courageously retrieved the item with some help from a sapling which unfortunately suffered terminal damage.
After striking out on a forestry road we continued upward to the fire lookout and stopped for a leisurely lunch. The view was excellent – a 360 degree panorama.
The day was very calm and sunny, with puffy clouds resting on the very tops of all the high points in both the Richmond and Kahurangi Ranges, though after midday, the offshore sea clouds rolled in across the Waimea Plains. A truly balmy day unfolded below us and it felt like we were witnessing the first day of spring.
We wandered back down off the tops, following Kate along a ridge leading to Reservoir Creek and the old dam, which once supplied drinking water to the village in the early 1900s.
Anyone interested in seeing Nelson’s tallest tree (Eucalyptus regans) need only walk five minutes uphill of the old dam.
Happy hikers included: Marie Lenting, Kate Krawczyk, David Cook, Ron Graham and Lawrie Halkett (leader and scribe).