This topo map is special because I live on it. My home squats on a ridge overlooking Victory Square, named after Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. From 1849 some of my ancestors arrived from England at the Port of Nelson – also on this map. Then in 1853, my Salisbury forebears tramped up the Pelorus River to follow the Māori trail over Maungatapu (1014m) and down the Maitai Valley to reach the city.

Nelson is hemmed in by pine-forested hills where mountain bikers have carved myriad tracks, including the Coppermine Trail. Walkers keep fit on the Grampians, the Centre of NZ, Glider Road and dozens more accessible walkways.

Beyond the Barnicoat Range lies the Bryant Range, where summits such as Dun Mountain, Little Twin, Saddle Hill (1215m) and Mt Duppa rise above the bushline.

Further south, the Te Araroa Trail bisects following the Pelorus River to its headwaters to connect with the Alpine Route and some of the toughest terrain on the TA, including Mt Rintoul and the Wairoa River.

The best overnighter is up the old Dun Mountain Trail, New Zealand’s first railway. Initially constructed in 1862 to carry chrome ore from the mines to the wharves, the tramline also provided a passenger service for four decades. 

Starting from the top end of Brook Street, a track climbs to the original tramline, then sidles below the flanks of Fringed Hill. A notable waypoint is Third House, which is now a shelter, some two hours up the track. Further on the railway alignment traverses exposed slopes to Windy Point, which invariably lives up to its name. Turning east into the Mineral Belt to reach Coppermine Saddle, there is a noticeable lack of vegetation as the ultramafic geology cannot sustain plant life.

Allow four hours to reach Dun Saddle. Then, from here a track leads southwest, traversing below the crest of the Bryant Range. Within another hour the third incarnation of Rocks Hut with 16 bunks will be reached. 

There’s a fantastic vista over the Pelorus Valley to the formidable Richmond Range from a nearby rocky lookout: Mt Fishtail, Mt Fell, Johnston Peak and Mt Richmond itself, rising to 1760m in an isosceles triangle of crumbling rock.

An alternative return journey, if you’re super adventurous, is to make an undulating traverse over Dun Mountain (1129m) and Little Twin to the diminutive Dew Lakes. From here, the ancient Māori trail descends to Rush Pool, the historical site of an argillite quarry. A steep route drops down to the Maitai River track and the dam.