Distance 14 km, elevation gain 609m, time 5 hrs

Dear Fellow Adventurers,

I hope this letter finds you well and filled with the spirit of exploration. As the sun painted the sky in hues of blue and gold and the warm breeze whispered tales of distant landscapes, I found myself compelled to share the awe-inspiring experience of our Mt Vulcan hike in North Canterbury.

Firstly, let me express my sincere regret that the trails we traversed are not open to all trampers. This was an exclusive expedition – on private land with restricted access – a privilege afforded to us by the Bishopdale Tramping Club – many thanks to our friendly farmer. We were 50 strong, driven by Alan and we welcomed new visitor Mijung.

The Standards, a spirited group of 33 trampers, embarked on a journey that unfolded like a tapestry of New Zealand’s finest landscapes. Our undulating tramp led us over expansive farmlands and meandering tracks, a symphony of rural charm under the vast sky. Outcrops of bright white limestone were many. As we steadily climbed, anticipation of our carefully chosen lunch stop hung in the air, a moment of respite before our ascent to the top of Mt Vulcan – where our intrepid leader chose not to yodel on the mountain top!

At the top a visual feast awaited us—rolling hills adorned with lush greenery, azure coastline extending to the horizon, and the distant silhouettes of majestic peaks. The summit was not just a physical elevation; it was a pinnacle of shared achievement and appreciation for the beauty that our efforts had unveiled.

The Alternates, a group of 17 intrepid souls, embraced a different but equally enchanting path. Sidling around Mt Vulcan, they ingeniously avoided the challenging climb to the top. Their journey was no less spectacular. The landscapes they encountered, the valleys they traversed, and the unique perspectives they gained showcased the diversity of our exclusive tramping experience.

While low cloud obscured Motunau Island for most of our walk, the cloud did eventually lift  sufficiently for us to see its lower half. The steeply-sided island is about 300m x 100m rising to a distinctive flat top 25m above sea level. Geologically it consists of Tertiary rocks, capped with loess and gravels and is surrounded by eroding cliffs and wave-cut reefs. A nature reserve, it is a breeding site for several species of seabird including the threatened little penguin/kororā,

As I write this letter, I can’t help but want to encourage you to seek out your own tramping experiences. While Mt Vulcan may be a closed chapter for now, Canterbury is filled with hidden gems waiting to be explored. The Bishopdale Tramping Club has shown us the magic that can happen when a group of like-minded individuals comes together to explore the wonders of our province.

So, fellow adventurers, don’t miss out on the magic. Either find your own tramping experience, and may your trails be as breath-taking as the one we forged on a fine November day to Mt Vulcan – or join the Bishopdale Tramping Club to experience what we do every week!

Yours in the spirit of exploration,

Brent M – with the help of my increasingly trusted ChatGPT friend

Trampers rally under blue skies

On track above low layer of cloud

Navigating overgrown sections of farm track

Designated seating for lunch

Return leg of the tramp

Distance 12.5 km, elevation gain 650 m (approx), time 4 hr 45 min and 5 hr 20 min

A club walk up Bealey Spur is a relatively rare event occurring only about once every two to three years.  One reason for this is the need to have reasonably good weather which can be harder to find when close to the high mountains of the Main Divide.  On this spring day a north-west wind was blowing and there was an expectation that the day might be cloudy and possibly with some rain showers.  It was a good call by the weather team to go ahead and we were rewarded with a dry and reasonably sunny day – good tramping weather.

The Bealey Spur walk is a classic high country walk although gentler than those closer to Arthur’s Pass.  It begins alongside State Highway 73 and climbs 620 m to Bealey Spur Hut over 6 km.  The track is managed by the Department of Conservation who rate it as an ‘easy’ walk of 2 ½ hours to the hut.  In days gone by, club members have carried on further up the ridge but in recent times the hut has served as the lunch stop and the turn-around point.  Even so, the walk requires an 8am start from Christchurch and a 5.30pm return.

The walk begins in beech forest and climbs quickly to more open country revealing great views of the surrounding river valleys and mountains.  An hour of steady uphill climbing brings the walker to a morning tea stop overlooking the Waimakariri and Bealey River valleys and the snow-capped mountains of Arthur’s Pass National Park to the north.  An hour or so further on is the hut and a welcome lunch break.

Why is this ridge named Bealey Spur you may ask?  According to Wikipedia the river, the small settlement at the base of the spur and Bealey Avenue in Christchurch are named after one Samuel Bealey, a 19th-century Superintendent of Canterbury Province and pastoralist.

The standard group of 29 members with Chris bounding along in the lead reached the hut soon after 12.30 and were well-through their sandwiches when 11 of the 14 strong alternative group led by Ray arrived at the hut, having left three of their number relaxing a bit lower down the hill.  The standard group welcomed the chance to have an extended lunch break then headed back down the hill followed soon after by the alternative group.

As far as this writer could determine, nothing dramatic happened during the day other than Maureen snapping the top off her walking pole.  All 43 walkers including visitor Peter and newly returned member Michele had an enjoyable day out in the mountain air.  Thanks to the 8 members who led, mentored, understudied and tail-ended the two groups and thanks also to new bus driver Stuart who drove us safely and smoothly to Bealey and back.

Text by Warren

Trampers prepare to hike from bus drop-off

Arthur’s Pass is that way

View up Waimakariri River Valley

Ascent through beech forest

Standards line up on the wetland boardwalk

Standards take in expansive views

Lunch in the sun at the Bealey Hut

Stats: see below

The bus left the Bishopdale carpark at the early time of 8:00 to give the Standards a fighting chance at knocking off Mt Oxford. I, however, today was and will forever be an Alternate whenever Mt Oxford is on offer thanks to past distant history of repeatedly and unsuccessfully trying to “Knock the bastard off.” Another good reason to avoid said Mt Oxford was that this was my first tramp in about two months (daughter’s wedding in the UK, thanks for asking, yes, it was absolutely wonderful, I’ve got some photos here somewhere…).  So, a clear, sunny, windless day saw us heading out along Tram Road with the crisp snow-covered foothills ahead. We reached the Cooper’s Creek carpark on Mountain Road out the other side of Oxford and off we set at 9:20 to walk to Ryde Falls and back. We were joined by a new visitor who added to the growing Peter collective.

It’s a great walk, is Ryde Falls, with a bit of everything. You start off out in the open, climb over a bluff or two as you head upstream, then after about 20 minutes you turn hard left and start into the bush which is mixed but mostly secondary growth beech with all that lovely honey dew.  And no wasps at this time of year, yay. There’s a fair bit of upping and downing through the bush and you mustn’t be confused by a couple of intersections but if you read the signs you will head the right way and eventually get to Ryde Falls. Simple.

Alas, although the day was glorious, the weather in recent days has been unkind. Rain yesterday and whomping great nor’westers in the last couple of weeks turned a usually rather muddy experience into a wildly feral one in many places. A large upturned tree early on set the scene as we tried various tacks and ended up scrambling round its enormous upturned roots. And so it went. There were a lot of trees broken along the ridge and plenty more along the track requiring a range of anatomical manoeuvres to traverse them. Oh and all the mud: there was mud for Africa. BTW this kiwi expression totally baffles my new African son-in-law (I may have mentioned I recently went to a wedding). What I meant was, it was muddy as, bro.

But we’re a hardy bunch and we got to the falls a bit after noon and settled in for kai time. No sandflies this time, can’t believe it. They’re always at Ryde Falls. Then, with empty packs but protruding puku, we sloshed back across the river and trip trapped home again.  There was a bit less chit chat on the way back so we could listen to the occasional birdsong. This was mostly pīwakawaka but there were intermittent bursts from other small twittering varieties. We got back to the bus at 3:20 and waited for the Standards to reappear. During this time we discovered that the Ryde Falls sandflies had migrated en masse to Coopers Creek, solving that puzzle.

Many thanks to Bev for her leadership, the other important office holders, Wendy and Ali, and to Min who brought up the rear and ensured that the group size remained at a steady 25.

Today’s Stats:

Some of this data collection was outsourced to more numerate trampers.

Distance: 15 km

100 boggy bits one way

16 trees down, requiring clambering over or under or round

5 streams

Large fauna sightings:

2 separate large friendly dogs with accompanying support persons

One monospecies couple (human)

Casualty list:

Slips, trips and falls: 5

Sticks in the eye: 1

Text by Jaki

Following an early start we picked up two more people from Mandeville which took us to 46 passengers on board. Two bags of chocolates (thank you) were passed around the bus. Congratulations to Dave and Shirley on the arrival of their first grandchild. And welcome back Chris after a break.

We arrived at the base of Mt Oxford at 9.10 and set off up the track five minutes later at a cracking pace. Our morning tea stop was at 10.00 after negotiating several fallen trees and branches across the track. Also dealing with very muddy conditions under foot.

A beautiful clear sunny day gave us great 360° views as we climbed out of the bush line.

Before our lunch stop we had encountered smatterings of snow on the ground.

By the time we stopped at 12.35 for lunch in the snow sheltering from a keen breeze with a stunning view of the summit of Mt Oxford it was clear, sadly, that we were not going to make it to the summit this time.

We headed back downhill at 1.05. It was very steep and slippery in parts.  We arrived safely back at the bus at 4.05 where the Alternates were waiting patiently for our return.

Thanks to our Leader Glenys and to Graham and Brent and our Tailender Dave F.

Text by Lynn B

Alternates pause to take in the view

Alternates enjoy morning tea in the sun

Luscious fern glade

Alternates negotiate stream crossing

Ryde Falls

Standards Navigating fallen trees across the track

Awesome views on a brilliant sunny day

Distance 13.1km; elevation gain 780m; duration 5hrs

On a brisk morning, with all aboard the bus driven by Alan, Min handed out some treats in celebration of her 26 years with the club and 35 years in New Zealand. 43 members and visitors Ming Ming, Lisa W and Peter D had signed up for what is a favourite tramp for many – Dracophyllum Flat in Canterbury’s high country.

The Standards group of 24 trampers embraced a challenging route that wound through beech forests and alpine pastures (including lots of Dracophyllum), following the trail nearly to Texas Flat. From there the group crossed the babbling Broken River three times, before reaching Highway 73.

Simultaneously, the Alternates opted for a slightly different adventure. After following the trail to Texas Flat and briefly meeting the Standards for lunch along the way, the group then traversed the Cheeseman Ski Club access road which led them to the Broken River Bridge on Highway 73. The Alternates walked 12 km, gained 510m in elevation and their start to finish time was 4 hours 30 minutes. The day presented few challenges with mild spring temperatures and little wind. Check out here for a list of the flora of Dracophyllum Flat.

By way of history, after the construction of the Hogs Back and Sidle 73 tracks by the Castle Hill community, the Dracophyllum Flat mountain track was developed to complete the mountain biking link between Castle Hill Village and the Broken River skifield road in the Craigieburn Forest Park. That said, the track is currently closed to bikes due to mud/frost-heave.

The trampers regrouped at the end of their respective journeys exchanging stories. The quiet return on the bus probably reflected that many had had a physical day out and were taking the opportunity for a well-earned rest.

Text by Brent (with the aid of AI – and that’s not Artificial Insemination!)

Alternate’s enjoy morning tea

Alternates rally after morning tea

Observing the footbridge load restriction

Group photo of happy Alternates

Standards arrive at lunch spot

Last road bridge on return journey

Distance: 13kms (approx), time: 5hr

On a radiant spring morning we embarked on a lovely tramp to explore some of the captivating landscapes of Banks Peninsula. With 22° forecast promising a warm spring day (the previous 10 day average high was just 14.1), 44 enthusiastic trampers set out. Several trampers had returned from fantastic overseas journeys and Hetty was welcomed back after a difficult year.

The Standards consisting of 24 members set out from Morgans Valley to Lyttelton via Major Hornbrook Track and then on to Urumau Reserve, Evans Pass and down to Sumner. This route promised a day of elevation gain (and pain), panoramic vistas and a touch of wilderness magic. As they traversed the trails trampers were treated to the vibrant hues of spring blossoms.

Meanwhile the Alternates, a lively assembly of 20 members and visitors, opted for a slightly shorter yet equally scenic route. Their journey also led them from Morgans Valley, and then on to Urumau Reserve concluding in picturesque Lyttelton – where there was the opportunity for a well-earned coffee or ice cream.

Native flora was on display including these I’ve since identified (hopefully correctly): mahoe, kōhūhū, akeake, five finger, lemonwood, ngaio, red matipo and Coprosma robusta . While Banks Peninsula also supports unique fauna such as the jewelled gecko, forest gecko and spotted skink these little critters weren’t keen on making obvious their presence.

Both groups revelled in the fine weather and joy of shared experiences. Conversation flowed freely creating a sense of community. Laughter echoed through the valleys and friendships were forged amidst the beauty of Banks Peninsula. As the day unfolded, trampers in both groups marvelled at the diversity of the terrain — from lush forests to open meadows, rocky slopes to serene coastal paths.

The bus picked up the Alternates from Lyttelton and then the Standards in Sumner before heading back to base. The day’s tramp was not just a physical exploration but also a collective celebration of nature, friendship and the spirit of adventure that defines  Bishopdale Tramping Club.

Text by Brent (50%) & AI (50%)

Standards ahead of alternatives on Morgan’s Valley Track

Alternates morning tea

Alternates view into Heathcote Valley at morning tea

Summit Road area viewing upper Lyttelton Harbour

Descending Major Hornbrook Track

Standards on Captain Thomas track to Sumner

Standards downwards at the summit road.

Standards on the way down on Captain Thomas track

Stats: distance 15km, elevation gain 676m, time 5hrs approx

Well! Your correspondent walked with the Standards today – and can’t possibly ever go back! It is just too embarrassing. Not only was an (unnamed) Standard wearing the same brand of new tramping boots, but they were also the same colour! The fashion clash was just too awful for words. Anyhow I managed to soldier on and kept up reasonably well with the pace set by the leader – Janice. Janice ran a good and very democratic ship. The democracy part did seem to be a little puzzling to some members with more authoritarian views. For instance one of the trampers was heard to shout “ecstatic” in response to a request on how did they feel if lunch was a little later.

Our group started off from McCormacks Bay gaining altitude at a breathtaking pace. It was interesting to note the chatter amongst the trampers dying off as the pace picked up. After some time, we arrived close to the top of Mt Pleasant and then descended to Evans Pass and finally on to Moncks Bay.

Some history about Redcliffs, McCormacks Bay, Evans Pass and Moncks Bay:

Māori used the Moa Bone Point Cave for shelter and the preparation, cooking and eating of food, including moa, seals, rats and shellfish. Areas within the cave appear to have been used for manufacturing artefacts of stone, bone and shell.

McCormacks Bay was named after William McCormack who arrived in New Zealand on the Charlotte Jane on the morning of 16 December 1850. He ended up buying about 50 acres (ca 20 hectares) of land in the area.

The road over Evans Pass from Sumner to Lyttelton was completed in 1857, and carried all traffic between the city and its port until the road tunnel was opened in 1964.

The first European owner of 100 acres (40 ha) in Moncks Bay was George Heath, who arrived in Lyttelton in March 1851 on the Isabella Hercus. He also had 500 acres (200 ha) of land on the hills behind.

Several trampers have let me know that they enjoy the trip reports. One even saying that he had to praise them because he didn’t want to do them!

The Sumner Steam Tram ca. 1904

Txt by Bill S

Standards Morning tea

View west from the Summit Road

Standards at Mt Pleasant gun emplacement

Alternates brave wind on Mt Pleasant

View East from Mt Pleasant Summit

Standards at Mt Pleasant summit

Looking down past our tree planting to Sumner

Standards: distance 9.5km, elevation gain 650m, time 5hrs

Your correspondent tramped with the “A” team today (aka the Alternates) along with 18 other souls. My earliest recollection of the tramp was reading the leader’s guide some years ago. What became etched in my memory was “a steady uphill climb.” Nothing at all about it being an “in your face grind with little relief.” Whatever, the views were as superb as the weather, with the brown tussock complementing the brilliant blue of the lake itself.  It was hard to imagine what it must have been like before humans arrived some 500 years ago and burned down the podocarp forest dominated by great trees such as totara and matai allowing tussock and scrub to take over.

The wonderful views evoked several wistful memories (wistful memories are one of the strengths of the Club). A memory, which was fit to print, involved one tramper as a 12-year-old on holiday near the lake paddling his kayak near the water intake of the power station and wondering why a whirlpool was close to his boat. When he looked up and read all the warning signs, he admitted to feeling rather chastened. The power station was one of the earliest substantial power stations in New Zealand. Currently (if you’ll pardon the pun!) there are five active turbines with two that are 100 years, or over, old.

By the way, Peak Hill itself is a roche moutonnee (or sheepback rock) which has been formed as outlined in the diagram.  This gives you an idea of the depth of the ice!

From the Standards: The views from the Peak Hill summit (1240 m) of Lake Coleridge and the snow-capped mountains beyond were great as usual but the wind meant we didn’t linger long to view them.  We dropped down just a short way to a nice sheltered hollow where we had lunch.

The next part of the trip from the summit down to the ‘corner’ where two fence lines meet and there’s a DOC sign saying ‘Peak Hill Conservation Area’ is a little bit rough underfoot as there’s no formed track and there are also many spaniard grasses to avoid (which not everyone did).  It was commented that it was much much easier than the descent from Boundary Hill however.  We made good time to the sign (about 45 min from lunch) and were there about 2pm.  At that point, we estimated we’d be back at the bus by 3.30 which proved about right. 

Note of thanks: As with virtually all BTC tramping trips the leaders, mentors and tailenders again performed an excellent job for which I for one was very grateful.

PS The much unloved spaniard grass is a member of the carrot family!

Txt by Bill S

Views to the east on the way up

Ascent with Lake Coleridge in the background

On the way up with Lake Coleridge in the background.

Not too much further

Last climb to the top

At the summit with expansive views of the upper Rakaia & Lake Coleridge

Standards lunch at the top

On the way down with views to the west end of Lake Coleridge

Distance 9.5km; ascent 250m; time 4hr

Vice-president Jen was at the helm again this week as we headed out of Christchurch on a day that promised sunshine and warmth. Our total of 47 keen trampers included Ming-ming, a guest of Frank W, farmer Evan and four extra local trampers we collected at Darfield. Driver Alan drove us all happily onward and we didn’t stress about the forgotten grey sign-up folder, nor the forgotten instruction sheets that describe the tramp. Evan would save the day with his guidance! And again this year, we’d been given permission to walk through the no-longer-mined Bathurst area.

The happy drive continued until – shock, horror – we reached a locked gate at a point that was not in a friendly bus-turn-around position!  The key that Evan was given did unlock a bright yellow padlock but another padlock determinedly blocked access. A very resourceful team of Evan, Alan and a couple of BTC men worked steadily for around 20 minutes to completely lift the gate from its hinges. They used a metal bar (which snapped a couple of times), logs and planks of wood, the bus wheel jack, and oil and overall they provided quite an entertaining stop for us on the bus.

Our walk started only a short distance further on, but Alan was able to turn the bus around at that corner and we all tramped as one group for the day. Evan had explained that he’d been on the farm since 1972 and was hoping to retire very soon. Coal mining by Bathurst stopped two years ago, but the process of remediation of the land and complying with all the requirements of Selwyn District Council and ECan means that the process of final sign-off and closure could take many years. At our morning tea stop by the manmade lake, we met Andy (our farmer guide from last year) and admired the stability of the hillsides that had been developed as well as the colourful rock waterways. Rayonier Matariki Forests have already planted some trees, but the timing of consents about where trees may be planted is making progress slow. In addition, there is a proposal to set up a covenant in perpetuity that includes native tree planting areas and a specific predator-free lizard reserve area. Native lizards apparently live in the area – though we saw none at all! All this has very complicated implications for landowners and most of our trampers agreed we were quite happy to be city dwellers.

We also saw the solar powered water measuring station that allows ECan to remotely monitor the purity of water run-off from the hillside. This water flows into a stream in the area that is home to the critically threatened kōwaro/ Canterbury mudfish.

After the ex-mine section, our tramp continued over a fairly familiar route, mostly on 4WD type farm roads and after an energetic climb we enjoyed a very pleasant lunch spot at 12.15pm with magnificent views in all directions. After lunch, as we climbed higher and traversed the farm’s hilltops, we battled a classic nor’westerly wind patch that made tramping very unpleasant for around 20 minutes.

Progress was steady after we descended out of the wind. Evan provided the magic key to unlock a deer fence gate that blocked our way and we continued down beside patches of trees, under and around fallen trees and eventually to a “new” fence crossing into a final paddock that led us to the waiting bus in Farr Street, Whitecliffs. It was another good day of non-technical tramping, with great views, and not marred too much for two or three trampers who found they had missing or empty shoe-bags at the bus, or poles nearly left behind, or a dropped car key discovered (thankfully) by driver Alan. And we even had time for a refreshment stop in Darfield as we dropped off the crew of extras. Most of us were home by 4pm.

Text by Janne R

Removal of padlocked gate by farmer in progress

Morning tea stop

Ascent of track towards lunch stop

Lunch spot with a view

View of restored coal mine pit

On track with distant views of snowcapped mountains

Trampers negotiate fence during return walk

Trampers queue to negotiate fence on return walk

Distance 10.8km, ascent 790m, time 5hrs 25mins

Mt Thomas had been scheduled for 2^nd August but was cancelled due to the weather so you may have heard a collective sigh of relief from trampers as the chance to summit was gone for another year. Not our fault, beaten by the weather. It has been a few years since we have reached the jumble of meteorological towers and large trig on top but always with a legitimate reason of course, rain setting in, gale force winds, excessive cloud obscuring the view or running out of time.

With a good forecast, 16 degrees, light winds 29 trampers which included one new visitor Lisa and driven by Callum we left Bishopdale with one pickup, Glenys at Ohoka Road. We were all busy chatting as we do when some realized we were heading in the wrong direction, west to Rangiora Airport. A quick turnaround saw us back on track soon turning in to Hayland Road where lambs either side were frolicking in the fields before our stop at the picnic area of Mt Thomas Forest Park.

We set off at 9.50am with the Standard’s plan to reach the top by the most direct route – the Summit Track. We climbed a stile before heading uphill through pine forest. After approximately 20 minutes and having climbed over a large pine tree across the track we reached a logging road. Here in hindsight, we obviously went astray as instead of crossing the road and continuing up an even steeper track we followed the road to our left and found we were heading rapidly downhill into beech forest and losing all our elevation. Thankfully the track did start to rise again to lift our spirits and at 10.25am we stopped for morning tea. At this point one knowledgeable tramper advised we weren’t on the Summit Track. It was agreed we would push on with our current track. Shortly after smoko we reached a signposted junction and learned we had indeed been on the Forest Track and were now joining the Wooded Gully Track. This was mildly concerning as we were aware from Marie-Therese’s pre-tramp website research that there was a DOC warning about a slip on Wooded Gully Track. We hoped it was behind us on the un-walked track.

The beech and podocarp forest with ferns and lots of streams some with bridges is stunning but concentration is required with tree roots and rocks underfoot. The track fools you with steady ascents followed by steep descents so you feel as if progress is minimal. Approximately two thirds of the way up now climbing more rapidly we suddenly came to the very large slip! Two sections of tape across the track had already been broken. Everyone stood in silence for a few seconds before we had a discussion on whether to proceed. I think we all thought we had come too far to go back so voted to continue but not without some trepidation. From where we stood we could see the continuation of the track on the other side. One surefooted tramper had already negotiated the slip via a high route and informed us we could rejoin the track. Being health and safety conscious we chose the lower route, climbing over under and squeezing our bodies between trees to cross the slip and scramble up the bank of clay mud and rocks hoping it wouldn’t give way. With only six men for ten  women we couldn’t expect them to carry us over the slip but they did lend a helping hand to pull us up the bank.

At 13.05pm after the final uphill slog at last we came out of the forest to bright sunshine and 10 minutes later we chose a spot in the tussocks with patches of snow to enjoy a well-deserved lunch. A handsome young deer stalker walked by with his bow and colourful arrows. It was just a brief chat, not even time to get a photo as we were obviously not his target.

Now fully nourished we walked along the ridge with snow melt adding to the very boggy muddy condition of the track. There had been several slides earlier especially when negotiating the slip and one nose dive into the mud on this section but because it wasn’t witnessed no need for any more detail.

The views at the trig were magnificent with the Canterbury Plains one direction and the glistening snow covered Southern Alps in the other. A woman from a group of young friends who had climbed the Summit Track kindly took our photo. She asked about ways to descend as she had seen on the website that the Wooded Gully Track was closed. We were able to inform her the oldies had made it over the slip so they should have no trouble.

It took us 1hr 35mins on the Summit Track to be back at the bus by 15.15pm. An ideal way to descend quickly but all agreed we were pleased we had not stuck with our original plan to go up via the Summit Track when we saw how steep it was.

The Alternates had also hiked up the Wooded Gully Track and had stopped for lunch before the slip.  On their return they had branched off to join the Summit Track back to the bus arriving at 14.30pm.

Back at Bishopdale before 16.30pm after a fantastic day in perfect weather with everyone intact after an unplanned adventure.

Well done Glenys, a good advert for “Girl Power’’.

Txt by Kate

Standards ascend track through bush

Negotiating one of many slips

Ascent through dusting of snow

Alternates stop for a photo

Alternates break for morning tea

enjoying lunch in the sun

Standards on their way down

Standards stream crossing

Panoramic views on the way down

Distance 12.3km; elevation gain 425m; total time 4hr 40min

An incident free day is a great summary for this early spring walk. The Coastal Cliffs Walkway follows the foreshore between Church Bay, Diamond Harbour and Purau, with harbour views and forms part of the Head to Head Walkway.

Acting President Jen welcomed visitor Linda M for a further outing, noted Basil’s return after an absence, also Eric from his and Margaret’s recent overseas trip. The 43 trampers and driver Viktor gratefully received Bill S’s birthday treat, hands delving into the brown paper bag.

The Coastal Cliffs Walkway site indicates the possibility of small slips and debris across the track with steep cliff edges in places, noting that the track can be slippery. The track was indeed slippery, and muddy, and when the 26 Standards crossed paths with the 17 Alternates at the Diamond Harbour domain there had been a few minor slips. The Standards had walked on inland rural and urban roads via Purau to the lunch spot.

Meantime as the Alternates walked around the coastal track, we idly imagined ourselves in distant places, Italy or Spain. We admired luxurious houses, the wildlife and listened to the bird song. It was a little tricky to be looking at the view, flora, and the properties while keeping a good foothold on the track and maintaining a good conversation. Among the plantings were tall blue spires of echium, euphorbia , tree lucerne, wallflower, geranium, tree aenoium (with the bright cone shaped yellow flowers), South African salt bush, buddleia and the ubiquitous eucalyptus and pine trees.

A large group from the Over Forties tramping club hailed us as we encountered them, covertly took photos of the opposition, though promised these would be made available.

Birdlife that might be heard, or seen, included the grey warbler, pīwakawaka/fantail, welcome swallow, and kererū/wood pigeon. There is also the possibility of spotting a kiwi on an alternate Bayview Road route, albeit a shapely topiary model. (Sightings by some dedicated BTC members who had walked the 14 km three days earlier.)

Following lunch the Standards returned along the coastal track to their pickup point at Charteris Bay. The Alternates carried on for a short time towards Purau, truncating their walk due to time restrictions and the lure of the nearby café/ice cream shop. Before long the Alternates were back at Diamond Harbour, wearing clean footwear, enjoying refreshments and relaxing in the sunshine. But not before one keen walker paced up and down the footpath to ensure that a bare 8km goal had been achieved. As the bus neared Charteris Bay, the Standards were finally sighted, a long line of walkers stretched out along the road, nearing the end of their 12km walk.

We returned to Bishopdale around 1600 hrs, having enjoyed this good day out, appreciating our surroundings and the ability to do our walks, one step at a time. From one tramper’s conversation, “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day…” (Shakespeare, Macbeth)

Text by Marie-Therese

Trampers rally at Charteris Bay to begin tramp

Sculpture at top of Wharf Steps

Planting on coastal track

Traversing beach below Marine Drive, Charteris Bay

Return journey through trees on coastal track

Lunch in the sun

View across Purau Bay to Ripapa Island

Dinghy storage at jetty on Purau Bay