Third House - Organiser: Carl Horn

Having met at the Cathedral Steps at 9am, and motored the 15 minutes or so to the parking lot in the Brook Valley, we set off up the first incline to the Dun Mountain Walkway under a clear, sunny sky. That was the steepest climb of the tramp, and caused some of us to wonder about the grading of the tramp, but that lasted for less than a half-hour, probably more like 20 minutes. From then on the grade was definitely a 1, up what used to be a railway incline all the way up the Walkway to the Third House shelter. At times we could walk two abreast, but at other times it seemed that the gauge of the railway couldn’t have been too wide. On two occasions, instead of having to go up and over a rise, a cutting had been made through the rock for the railway, and we were able to carry on at a comfortable gait. 

From time to time breaks in the surrounding trees allowed distant vistas of Nelson, the Bay, and the mountains beyond. As we rounded one bend we saw the Third House shelter on the other side of the valley considerably higher than ourselves, which seemed somewhat daunting at the time, but the walk there was easy, just took time zigging and zagging. After an hour lazing about the Third House shelter having lunch and enjoying the excellent view of the estuary and the Waimea plain and mountains in the distance, we turned and retraced our steps. Almost immediately we were hit by a change in weather, as a southerly arrived. The temperature dropped enough for us all to bundle up, and one of us even wore gloves to avoid the chill. There was a hint of rain in the air as we clomped down the track. Then, about 3 in the afternoon, the clouds dissipated and the sun warmed us again as we carried on down the hill.

Particularly pleasant were two stretches of the track which weave through stands of kanuka and beech, the broken sunlight dappling the bark, giving a somewhat magical feel to the moment. The Dun Mountain Walkway provides a pleasant stroll and should be on everyone’s list for evening walkabouts in the summer. It’s also the gateway, so to speak, to many kilometers of tracks on the hills east of Nelson. At 4:30pm we were standing in the parking lot in Brook Valley saying our goodbyes. Everyone expressed satisfaction with the day. 
Party: Robyn Walsh, Trish Bennett, John Olykan, and visitors Karen Wardell, Ricki Harris, Gillian Arbuthnott, Hector Arbuthnott, and organiser Carl Horn.