TRAMPING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 4 September 1934, Page 9

TRAMPING

TRIP TO ANISEED VALLEY OLD COPPER MINES, INSPECTED 0 , MOUNT EOMONT SIGHTED i One of the finest tramps yet under- - taken by the Nelson Tramping Club was , j held at the week-end. The trip to the -j copper-mines in the Aniseed Valley was > made in glorious weather and attended i by twenty-six very keen members. A party from tho Reservoir and an- • other from Enner Glen, after a good . climb, met on Jenkins’s Spur. When ■ all had admired the extensive view ; from that point they set off through the birch bush for the track leading steeply 1 down to the Roding River. The river was met at the confluence with the United Stream, up which the party tramped until the old disused copper smelting ivories were reached. On the , grassy flats there members had lunch and a welcome rest in the sun. EveryI where were large pieces of broken, rusted machinery, twisted girders and coll lapsed stagings. These relics of the mini invr days were of great interest to all. 1 After lunch a tramp up the tramline to- 1 wards the actual mines brought mem- 1 bers to an eerie limestone cave, the I stalactites and stalagmites of which 1 were inspected by means of torchlight : and candlelight. Returning from the cave the party i quickly reached the lunch site, where kits were packed and the tramp down ! the Roding River continued. The winding river which they followed for a considerable distance was everchnnging in its beauty; here foaming rapids scintillating in the sunshine, there reaches so still that the sunlit trees on the banks were mirrored perfectly. Crossing the river the members then commenced the stiff climb to the ridge at the head of Poorman’s Valley. No sooner had this point been attained when Mt. Egmont was seen exceptionally clearly on the horizon. Its snowcapped cone was very distinct, the view being quite unmarred by haze or cloud. When tramping through the bush on Jenkins’s Hill members were delighted with the picturesque sight of the sinking sun as seen through the trees which were richly tinted by the golden rays. Later, from Jenkins’s Spur, a view, quite unsurpassed by any seen on a previous tramp, was gained. A magnificent sunset behind the Mt. Arthur Range sharply defined every peak and every saddle. The Waimea Plains were in shadow; but the many inlets near Rabbit Island, reflecting the blue of the evening sky, stood out in clear relief. Ear across the Bay the lights of Motueka were discernible, while below there were the twinkling lights of Richmond, Stoke and Nelson. Another point ( of exceptional interest was the sighting of the slowly flashing light of the Farewell Spit lighthouse. As the trampers descended the last stages of the spur, night gradually closed in. This trip, so full of interest at every step, was declared by members as one of the best outings they had experienced.

Mr R. Gilbert ably led the tramp. Next Saturday afternoon Mr and Mrs Manssen will lead a trip to Enner Glen and Flaxmore, commencing at Ivory’s Corner. There should be some splendid views from the top of Flaxmore, and this trip should be very popular.