City Heights - Nelson

Saturday 23 July 2022

 At 9 am on a clear, chilly July morning, nine of us still reigning victorious over seasonal colds, flu and covid met outside Founders Park on Atawhai Drive.  We made a quick procession through the Wakapouaka Cemetery admiring the handiwork of hardy local volunteers who up until recently donated their time and elbow grease to cleaning the tomb stones.  On this sunny winter morning these memorials gleamed in the bright sunshine. 

After checking that the same number of trampers came out of the cemetery as went in, we headed up Walter’s Bluff to join the Sir Stanley Whitehead track and walk along the ridge.  We stopped for a view-admiring morning tea before heading down Botanical Hill to the Maitai Valley Road. 

From there it was along to Nile St then right to climb up Cleveland and Atmore Terraces and beyond, right up to the top of Jacks track where we perched on a knob with the ‘almost able to see forever’ view to have a leisurely lunch and do a spot of sunbathing.  The western mountains hid their summits with puffy white snow, the bay sparkled and twinkled its blue hue and the houses way down below in The Wood even looked pristine. 

After lunch it was a matter of getting down Jacks and then along a couple of other tracks to Codger’s and out to Brook St.  This time there’d been so much rain in previous days that there were slippery, boggy patches to be negotiated along with bikers to be evaded.  Once down on Brook St, there was only a fast trot left to get back to the cars. We completed the walk by 2 pm having covered 14.7 km.  Well done team!

Those who came up hill and down dale over a selection of the City Heights were Alison (leader and scribe), Bernard, Jenny, Pauline, Rob & Maria, Terri, Val and visitor Martina.