| Leader | Mentor | Understudy | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Dave | Chris | Nicky | Margaret E |
| Alternates | Nick | Norma | Linley M |
A clear but overcast sky as we left Christchurch heading for a foray into the limestone country of North Canterbury. With 46 on the coach, driver Viktor turned left at Richard Murchison’s Weka Pass Farm homestead on to the winding, shingle Fergussons Road. An early Cobb and Co stage-coaching hotel sat in front of the old house there in the 1860s. The first licensee was Joseph Ward who ran the hotel and a 60-acre farm as well as looking after a toll gate there.
Out of the bus, we were met with a hard, cracking frost so it was smartly over the bridge and steeply (at first) up the farm track above the creek to a rolling limestone ridge. Morning tea was taken higher up the hillside where we had great views over the top corner of the farm and out to the plains of the Waipara basin’s limestone terrain.
With morning tea over, we worked our way along the topmost ridge overlooking the middle of the farm and where we would be shortly tracking. The north-easter today had a bite to it as we followed the fenceline to the end of the ridge. With a careful sidling descent off the rocky knob, we proceeded to the deer paddocks at the bottom. With the gates already kindly unlocked, we moved on to the main roadway through the farm. Fortunately, the group of wary yearling stags in residence had retreated to a far corner out of sight.
Now it was a gentle meander up and down the farm road through patchy scrub and green hills, but fortunately most gates on this stretch had been left open. Across the creek with mostly dry feet, we climbed the gentle inclines to the lunch spot – the haybarn that is almost halfway through the journey. At least we could gather where there was some sun and a modicum of shelter from the breeze. Under the clear sky, the imposing limestone escarpment above us echoed citadel walls and crusader sieges, or perhaps the jagged backbone of some ancient Mesozoic sea creature poking out of the landscape. More of the same easy farm road and paddock walking continued after lunch but with this were a few more gates to open. Permafrost lingered in the shadows, so cold feet were avoided by staying in the sun.
Richard’s northern boundary is alongside the ghost of the old Weka Pass coach road, which we followed. As we ambled gently up the slope, it was not difficult to reflect on what the coach journey must have been like for travellers back in the early days or the countless numbers of gold seekers on foot off to the west coast diggings via Harper’s Pass.
With the Alternates finishing not far behind us, there would be time for refreshments at Amberley on the way back to Christchurch. Despite the cool conditions, you could still say it had been a enjoyable tramp. Txt by Chris
* We are pleased to report that the alternative tramp today from the Sign of the Takahe and return went very well. We departed at 9.30am with 10 trampers and finished at 2.40pm having descended to the Heathcote River, followed it downstream for approximately 2 kms, ascended Hollis Ave and walking track to Longhurst Tce, and lunched at Cracroft Reserve adjacent to the Sign of the Takahe. After lunch 7 elected to continue to the Sign of the Kiwi and return. Txt by Bruce
