Friday 13th March 2015: Both Johns, Ian, Alan and Graham had decided to go potholing at Cave Stream Scenic Reserve a short distance further north from Castle Hill. Later we all headed through Arthur's Pass.

We all had a look at the reserve and Alan showed me the exit - the rocks were slippery and there was some crawling so I think I made the best choice, claustrophobia aside! Actually I'm only claustrophobic when one could get stuck and only acrophobic when there is a significant chance of falling, so as these are quite rational fears, I shouldn't suppress them!

After Cave Stream we headed futher north, past Lakes Pearson and Grasmere to connect with the Waimakariri River at Bealey where we stopped for lunch. Great views of Mt Bealey to the west and Mt Horrible to the right [other woeful names in the area are Mt Misery and Mt Damfool]. The Moa were well done (but not on the menu).

After Bealey there is Arthur's Pass (great DOC centre) and Mt Rolleston [just north and just higher than Mts Guinevere and Lancelot] and on to the amazing Otira viaduct. This viaduct is "one of the most notable environmental engineering achievements in NZ" and won the 2001 IPENZ Environmental Award in 2001 for protection of the fragile alpine ecology.

We only went as far as Otira (about 13km north of Arthur's Paa village) before heading back to Birch Hill Lodge.

Saturday 14th March 2015: Some of the group went to see the Glentui Falls (which we had passed on the Mt Richardson circuit) and we tried morning tea at (Jo) Seagars at Oxford, which I found a bit crowded and the food too buttery. In the afternoon we took a trip out to the Lees Valley, just to see it close up.