Editor Hill – Marlborough Sounds

Saturday 12 August 2023

Saturday dawned fine and frosty for this year’s trip to Editor Hill. Nine of us set off from Opouri Saddle at 8.45am. Five had been up this way on previous trips, but it was new country for the rest of us.

The track was damp and slippery, and steep in places. We had morning tea once the bulk of the climbing was over, choosing our sitting places amongst the snowy rocks on point 945.

We travelled a bit faster from there, reaching point 1040 in three hours. There was a lot more snow up on the higher ridge, and soon our necks were getting wet from pushing our way through the snow-laden branches.

We then came upon some delightful clearings, choosing one of them to have lunch in the warm sun, with views out over Admiralty Bay and the outer Sounds.

Despite having followed blue markers to the lunch-spot, we then found that our route to the top of Editor Hill involved some bush-bashing, which soon led us back to the markers of the ridgeline track and onto the summit.

We followed these markers on down a spur and then, veering right, the route sidled along the 980m contour, taking us back the track that we had come up on. From there it was a simple matter of following our snowy footsteps back to the cars.

Just over seven and a half hours in total, the trip was a good work-out, and enabled us to get back to Nelson before dark.

Participants were returnees Sue, Rob, Maria, Marian and David S (scribe), and explorers Simon, Jenny, Penny and Tessa.