| Leader | Mentor | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Jen/Judy R | Judy R | Sally |
| Alternates | Ali | Joanne | Moira |
Statistics: distance 12km; elevation gain 700m; time 4hrs 40mins
35 trampers signed on for the Okuti Valley hike. On a fine and cool morning, after the last pick up at Halswell, we enjoyed a leisurely and scenic bus ride along the Akaroa Road turning right onto Okuti Valley Road at Little River. A short while later we alighted at the Okuti Valley Scenic Reserve. At about 10:15am, after a short walk further up the road, we started walking uphill on the Okuti Track. The track made its way initially through a very attractive area of native forest within the scenic reserve. After about 45 minutes we stopped for a brief morning tea in an area of pine trees.
By now the forecast northerly wind had arrived, warming things up, resulting in a few of us shedding a layer or two as we continued on our way upwards through farmland to French Hill with good views across the valley and south east to Birdlings Flat. A couple of sections of mud and fairly deep bog had us picking our way through doing our best to keep the mud and water out of our boots. A good pair of gaiters proved their worth on these parts of the track.
By about midday we reached the next point of interest, the saddle between French Hill (815m) and point 704, then it was a bit of up and down for 1.5km or so and we reached our lunch stop at Hilltop, south of and approximately 80m above the Akaroa Road. In the meantime, the alternates, walking the same out and back route, had stopped for their lunch on the saddle overlooking the sheep yards.
After our brief half hour lunch stop, we were walking back down the track towards our bus waiting at the reserve, arriving just before 3pm. A very picturesque peninsula stroll on a lovely winter’s day, on which we welcomed new visitor Stuart M.
Text by Stuart C
