| Group | Leader | Mentor | Understudy | Tailender |
| Stds | Jan Bbr | Peter | Selwyn | Shirley |
| Alternates | Liz | Bill W | Ali | Ray |
Stats: distance 15km, ascent 672m, time 4hrs 45mins
The day started with a cracking frost. The bus set off at 8.30am and after collecting our President, Bev, enroute, we had 43 enthusiastic trampers. Our driver for the day was Alan.
As we travelled to our destination, we drove through a mixture of sun, frost and fog. On arrival at 10.00am at Foxdown Farm, a 1400ha hill country farm established in 1877, we climbed off the bus into a very bitter wind to be greeted by a cute bouncy puppy and more mature laid-back sheepdog. On the positive side the sun was shining, and we had clear blue skies. After donning warm jackets, gloves and hats we set off in two groups at 10.15am into what felt like a gale. The Standards were walking on farm tracks to the summit of Mt Alexander and returning on a loop track while the Alternates were walking to the summit of Mt Alexander and retracing their route back to the bus. We followed the well-maintained farm track flanked by pine forest which made for easy walking to the sheep yards for our morning tea stop at 10.50am. The sheep yards were well-sheltered by trees giving us some respite from the dreaded wind. The Alternates arrived to have their morning tea just as the Standards were getting ready to depart at 11am.
Leaving all shelter behind as we were now in open countryside, the Standards walked up a grassy track to the very comfortable looking Foxdown Lodge which was a short distance from the sheep yards at the top of a hill. We were told by the farmer, Andy Fox, we could visit because there were no guests in residence. Panoramic views could be had from the deck and the outdoor bath looked very enticing (on a day without wind!). Looking through the windows, the accommodation looked very comfortable, and we thought it would be a wonderful place to spend a night. The lodge is a recent initiative for the farm and opened in 2020. The farm runs mainly sheep and some beef, and also has a museum with an interesting collection of various historical objects open to the public.
Soldiering on into the wind, we climbed steadily to our lunch stop just below the summit of Mt Alexander arriving at 12.15pm. On the summit there is a trig point and a large communications tower. We had amazing views all round as the atmosphere was very crystal-clear due no doubt to, if I haven’t already mentioned it, the wind. Some of us climbed up to the trig point and communication towers on the summit for even better views. We could see to the south Mt Grey, to the west and north snow-capped mountains and the Hurunui River weaving its way across the Amuri Plain, and to the east Pegasus Bay and Banks Peninsula.
We set off at 12.45pm to make our way back to the bus. This part of the walk was much more pleasant as the wind had finally dropped considerably. We even managed to take our hats off and enjoy the sunshine. It was all open countryside until we walked through the pine forest at the end climbing up the last hill before descending to the bus below arriving at 2.40pm. After some of us had a look at the collection of classic cars in one of the farm sheds, we departed for home at 3pm. Another great day enjoyed by all. Judy Rennie
