While Chch had a grey day our eight were enjoying a sunny walk inland from Culverden. We parked at Korari Downs and quickly got reaquinted with the farm dogs. We were aware of their antics from last year. The lab arrived with a pine cone and dropped it at Norman’s feet. Norman understood the gesture and threw the cone for the enthusiastic dog. This game could have gone on and on if we’d obliged but we had a walk in mind. The other farm dog, a small mut wasn’t athletic at all. It lay at our feet and wanted its tummy scratched.

Going up the farm track wasn’t difficult but we needed a few cool-off breaks. Geoff, our leader and guide had promised we would see what’s visible of a diatreme, a volcanic pipe caused by a gaseous explosion. On the 937m hill-top we studied a rock sample Geoff chipped off as we munched on our sandwiches. Sorry Geoff but I was hoping for something more dramatic than a chip off a common-looking rock. I do admit the chip’s structure told an explosive story.