Craigmore Station Sunday 12th May
A dull overcast foggy day greeted us as we met up at the car-park, but we were soon on the road to Maungati where the cloud had lifted. Just beyond the golf-course we turned into Cleveland and parked up by the ‘Red Stables’. Here we were greeted by Fiona Elworthy, who waved us up the hill with some very basic navigational instructions. At the top of the hill we had very extensive views, to the east it was fog, to the west one could see the Main Divide with Mt Cook emerging very prominently. Also up here was one of our destinations, a bothy (being a Scottish term for a basic shelter) constructed in a circular fashion out of limestone blocks. We had lunch here, then off to inspect some of the many limestone sinkholes which are of great geological significance to this area. Then back to the bothy for a photo-shoot, then heading downhill beside the limestone cliffs to cross the river beside the old Maungati school. At the road junction Fiona has put in a plantation of natives and cherry trees in memory of her husband, and in the central enclosure she had left us with a basket of apples for our refreshment. It was then a matter of following the river downstream, no easy matter as the recent floods had caused some diversions with much debris and damaged fencing piled up along the banks. So it was very much a case of wet feet until we arrived back at the cars.
Thanks to Fiona Elworthy for giving us access.
Those present, Colin, Judy ,David ,Bruce ,Barry, Jim, Paul and Robert