| Leader | Mentor | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Selwyn | Alan H | Jen C |
| Alternates | Peter | Sally | Moira |
Statistics: Distance 11.5km/7.6km, elevation gain 519m/400m, time 4hr/ 4hr 45mi
Our group of 36 trampers (including visitor Robert and guest Eva) were all well prepared for anything, including the recent unseasonable snowfall in the mountains and the infamous matagouri we would encounter.
We emerged from our lovely warm bus down the Lyndon Coleridge Road to find it was actually a perfect, sunny day for our tramp. The 21 Standards soon branched off on the longer route towards Boundary Hill while the 15 Alternates took the shorter though swampier route. Neither way could be called a track; both leaders had to negotiate their way along vague paths left by meandering stock.
The Standards’ progress towards the hill was reminiscent of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, as there were lots of swishy-swashy grass and many things to go under, along and over. These included a landslip, a fence and a rather deep ditch, not to mention a fault line. Morning tea for the Standards (except for the one who spent the time going back for his poles left at the ditch) was as usual at the rocky outcrop before our first real climb of the day.
Towards mid-day we were able to spot the Alternates high above us. There were three good reasons to look down rather than up though: the exquisite sub-alpine plants, the massive old cow-pats, and the roughness of the track those aforementioned cattle had created. We caught up to the lunching and lounging Alternates at 12:15 and then struggled up the very steep incline to the summit of Boundary Hill (two of the Alternates had boldly opted to climb to the summit on strict instructions not to dawdle and risk holding up the return of the rest of the group back down the way the Standards had just come up.)
The best thing about getting to the top of Boundary Hill was (a) lunch and (b) the superb view of Lake Coleridge, the Rakaia River and the smattering of snow on the distant mountains. The only problem with the nice flat summit is it’s hard to find a spot for a discreet Wee Stop.
Let’s face it, the descent the Standards take from the top of Boundary Hill is always difficult. There is the dramatic drop-off to the right, very uneven ground and the nasty matagouri and spiky Spaniard to contend with. Our Leader & Mentor did a superb job guiding us despite the fact the bright orange markers from earlier years had faded into obscurity and we were a bit like Hansel and Gretel looking for breadcrumbs. Those in the front did however find a sheep cast in the matagouri, and thanks to John who rescued it.
Once we got down to the farm track below we had enough time and energy to detour to the Red Lakes (which are still a pretty green). We then marched briskly along towards the pick-up spot on the Lyndon Coleridge Road and the welcome sight of the bus with the Alternates on board arriving just minutes before we got there. Less delighted to see the bus was a huge mob of sheep milling just along the road, along with the farmer from the nearby station who was trying to move them past us. As Nicholas put it to his young German guest Eva, a quintessential New Zealand sight. Less impressive was the live stoat Lisa observed, in a very similar spot to the dead rodent Alan delighted in showing us last year.
Text by Shirls
