This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 94, no 2, March 2022
Dry Creek –Boulder Hill– Loop Track E/M
Wednesday 16 February
It had been a week that wouldn’t go away: Omicron was hitting the fan and social media hysteria had invaded parliament. Time for some outdoor therapy in the real world.
Thirteen of us, including one non-member, left Dry Creek in Belmont Regional Park at 0930 headed for Boulder Hill. The wind had come up, but a fanning was welcome as we climbed steeply to the summit at 442 m. Already panoramic views were popping up – Mt Matthews, two Cook Strait ferries, farm houses and lifestyle blocks tucked away in the folds of hills greening after recent heavy rain.
It was still early so we descended to the turn-off and tramped 30 minutes along the loop walk, with its welcome shade of native bush for a cool lunch with a view across the reserve. Already a substantial forest, in 50 years the Belmont hills will be magnificent if we can keep roads and housing out.
The last section of the 4WD road was hot and crumbly underfoot and someone had raided the blackberries already. But we’d had a very pleasant escape from the madness for about four and a half hours.
- Party members
- Bill Black, Sue Fish, Alison Hannah, Carolyn Jenkins, Carol Kelly, Sue Mahon, Jane-Pyar Mautner, Diane Morgan, Pip Newton, Marg Pearce (leader and scribe), Anna Shum-Pearce, Janice Tijsen, Helena Weller-Chew.