FLAGPOLE

SUNDAY 8th FEBRUARY 2026

Seven hardy souls turned up at the meeting place and we then added one more at Darfield, then continued to drive to Whitecliffs for our tramp. When we got out of the cars to put our boots and packs on, we were greeted by a misty rain. The forecast was for 5mm of rain, still this was better than sitting on the couch inside all day.

The tramp followed a four-wheel drive track to the top, through farmland and forestry. Once at the top, we didn't stay long due to the rain, and we decided to retreat back the same way.

The rain stopped when we were almost back at the cars, and the sky started to clear, so we were rewarded with some nice views after all. We decided to search for the old Copper mine, upstream from the Selwyn River, but we did not find this and realised it must be much further on that we expected. From there, it was a brief walk back to the cars.

We were, Murray (Leader), Kerry, Lee, Joy, Karen, Sandra, Gemma and Kim. (MH)