Onepunga Scarp – Mt Grey/Maukatere

Sunday 10 August 2025

This was an unconventional approach to Mt Grey, on farmland from the north-west. After parking near point 400m of the prominent limestone scarp we set off into a cold southerly breeze. Keen to make some distance and warm up we took the vehicle track alongside the scarp. At a low point past the scarp we got onto a vehicle track, then to a snowy spur. We skirted beech forest with its heavy coating of snow, then reached the ridge that contains Mt Grey. At a sort of saddle, we found the Red Beech Track that took is through a fairyland of black trees plastered on one side with snow. It was cold enough that the snowy branches didn’t dump on us. The track emerged from the forest and climbed to point 925, then Maukatere/Mt Grey at 933. Keen to get out of the chilly wind Keith and Kerry settled for the lower peak, while the others pressed on to the authentic peak. Back in red beech forest we stopped for lunch, then followed our tracks back the way we’d come. Those of us with walking poles found it a little easier to avoid slips on the snowy tussock. We made good time and with the wind at our tails, chose to walk along a section of the scarp. We were surprised to see a pile of well-stacked, square limestone blocks, each nearly a cubic metre in size, so it seems that the local stone has been used in Canterbury’s buildings. These days quarries in the area extract limestone for fertiliser. We reached the cars at 3:30 and were home around 5pm. All were pleased we’d ignored the weather forecast and braved the chill to be rewarded with the magical experience of walking in pristine snow.
We were: Eileen, Ian, Wang, Keith and Kerry.  P  KM