| Leader | Mentor | Understudy | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Alan | Selwyn | Kate | Marg E |
| Alternates | Ali | Norma | Linley | Eric |
Distance: 14 km Time: 4 hours Elevation gain: 504m
Leaving Bishopdale in high spirits with the promise of a pleasant farm walk in North Canterbury ahead, we were all delighted to see Viktor as he has been on other driving duties for the last few months. Jen welcomed us in a number of languages and may have to add Viktor’s first language to these. We made good time up the main road north and soon pulled over opposite the Greta Valley pub. We quickly divided into our two groups – 27 walking with the Standards and a small group of 11 with the Alternates. The first pleasant surprise was that the tricky fence did not have to be negotiated as this year the gate was unlocked. We all poured through gratefully, especially those of us who had torn our shorts the week before and really didn’t want to have to consign a second pair to the bin had the barbed wire etc been misjudged. The wide track winding steadily uphill provided good conditions underfoot and the weather was perfect – warm sunshine and not a breath of wind. We all enjoyed the rest provided by the morning tea stop and the opportunity to take in the surrounding countryside.
A fellow tramper was able to inform us that the valley was named by the first two landowners in the 1850s, after the river Greta in Yorkshire. There was no sighting of a river but the light on the western foothills was certainly noteworthy.
We walked on uphill for the most part until the trusty landmark – the freezer – was duly spotted. As this signals the gate where a left turn is required up the final hill before lunch, it is important that it is not missed. As far as I’m aware, this is the first year that anyone has thought to investigate the contents of said appliance. Curiosity got the better of some of the Alternates. On opening the lid, the True Crime afficionados were secretly disappointed to not find dismembered body parts – not even dog tucker. What was found was large empty plastic containers. Speculation regarding their purpose kept everyone distracted from the last uphill grunt before lunch.
The lunch stop provided wonderful wide vistas of the foothills, ranges behind and farmland below. The Standards were soon joined by our other group and as there was plenty of space for all 38 of us, there seemed no urgency to move on. However, the call to “saddle up” was heard soon enough and off we went for the last section of the walk, including the last climb of the day. What was remarkable were the very dry conditions and the strange state of the ground we were walking on. Some were heard to describe it as “lunar-like” and none was inclined to disagree, even if we were short on first-hand experience of the moon’s surface!
The final long downhill section of the track has to be taken cautiously as a slip or a slide seemed inevitable at some point. Negotiating the final water hazard we were greeted by a couple of toy dogs as we made our way to the bus. An unfamiliar sight awaited us – Viktor with his feet up having an afternoon nap. We were sorry to have to disturb him, he looked so relaxed. In due course the Alternates arrived and we finished our day out as we had started – enjoying the sunny day, the passing scenery, being able to relax and enjoy conversing with our fellow club members – or those of us still awake who were able to enjoy these things.
Text by Jan Bw
