Ascending, southern and western hills quietly revealed themselves, but the scene from the peak came suddenly. Only repeat climbs could prepare you; it takes your breath away. With a step, the Pacific Ocean, the Clarence valley, and the lower North Island appeared.
We lingered on the summit. It was that sort of day; we revelled in it. Pictures were taken; brief summit phone coverage hastily taken advantage of. Then we exited via a scree run suitable for two, not 10 (Di’s black-and-blue digit was the only casualty), meeting up with our ascent route shortly after. The metres fell away as we rejoined the world of plants and small creatures, and a few conversations, picnics, and dozes-in-the-sun later, we arrived at the MTC’s huts, by now quiet with weekend busy-ness over. The remarkable dinner-for-ten that Sue conjured up would have been something special at home; in the hills, it was magic. Monday’s descent through the Hodder’s twists and drops was easy as a nor’wester built up, coffee in Seddon was thought of, where we enthusiastically greeted by Sue Barker( Johnston), and the chance to look again at the earthquake-changed Kaikoura coast came back to mind.
* Information for trampers/climbers: unformed legal roads almost to the saddle between Mt Alarm (2,877 metres) and Mitre Peak (2,691 metres) allow access up the Hodder River and into the scenic reserve that covers the big Inland Kaikoura tops including those two and Tapuae-o-Uenuku.
The party was: Sue Piercey, Liz Stephenson, Diane Mellish, Aarn Tate, Sonja Risa, Jan Finlayson, Gary Huish, Raymond Ford (leader), Angela Grigg, Calum McIntosh (JF)