Being fairly recent imports to Nelson, when we Googled ‘Nelson Tramping Clubs’ and found the website, I saw there was a club meeting in a couple of days and so we came along. The walk this weekend would be to Mount Arthur.
I had a view of Mount Arthur from my old office window; it looked pretty big and snowy in winter (we’re from the North Island). People said it was an easy climb; they said they’d taken their kids up there. I wasn’t sure what to expect; as a newbie I didn’t realise there was a ‘grading system.’
We turned up keen and confident on Sunday morning. It was a great idea to meet in Richmond and car pool. I doubt my little VW Polo would have made it up the road, so thank you Phillip for chauffeuring us to the start.
So off we went; there were six of us, with Debbie our ever-patient leader making sure we all knew the rules.
I think we were all very pleasantly surprised with the weather. Although our views were sometimes hampered by low cloud, the wind was almost non-existent, so on the way up to the hut we were de-layering, it was so warm!
Grant led the way. Alan was also a newbie to the club, but being a road biker, he has a good base fitness. Debbie and Phillip kept John company at the rear. We chatted away on the way up and suddenly we were at the hut for morning tea.
I didn’t realise we had walked 4.2 km, I truly thought we’d only gone a couple of kilometres. This first part was very pleasant; great track, gentle climb, nothing too arduous. Someone asked me after I did the walk, “did I like the Doctor Seuss trees?” Immediately, I understood.
There were a few other people on the track, everyone going at their own pace, but all focussed on the same goal.
I believe it took us just over an hour to arrive at Mt Arthur hut. A couple of young men were busy cleaning it.
After morning tea, we strode off for the final five kilometres – a little more arduous for John and I, but as they say: “one foot in front of the other!”
I loved the colours of the flora and fauna. There were patches of snow. Little by little those patches got slightly bigger and suddenly we were walking through it. As a townie from Auckland, this was cool!
Grant kept the pace up front, making sure no scary creatures had escaped the Doctor Seuss trees from below.
In two hours, five minutes, we had arrived at the “15 minutes from the peak” spot (which took us 45 minutes). This last bit was quite challenging for me; I literally climbed up through the snow on my hands and knees … not sure if this is the way proper trekkers do it, but it worked for me.
The top was a treat! We were lucky to get a few minutes of clouds clearing; enough time for a photo shoot and a peek through to Nelson. We returned the way we came and found a lovely, sheltered spot for lunch.
Obviously on a clear day, the views would be magnificent … next time!
We were so pleased that our first trek was with a group of such positive, patient people, who were happy to share their knowledge and experience of tramping. It was great to get little tips; like how to walk up hill in snow, and how to go downhill in snow. Did you know there are two ways to go downhill? Either dig your heels in, or put your waterproof pants on and slide down. This second option was much more fun.
Next time, Debbie, we will understand the classification system.
Climbers were: Debbie Hogan, Grant Derecourt, John Hewlett, Mary Hewlett, Alan Bywater and Philip Palmer.