44
MAY 2019
MOUNTAINBIKKING
NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST RAILWAY, the Dun Mountain
Railway, was built from Nelson to Coppermine Saddle in 1861.
The narrow gauge railway not only provided access to the chro-
mite and copper in Nelson’s stark and barren mineral belt but also
public transport from town to port. Mining only lasted until 1866 as
returns didn’t match expenditure and the investors pulled the plug.
While the tracks and sleepers were lifted and recycled by 1872,
much still remains – including a superbly-benched track, evocative
cuttings, steep slopes with commanding views and plenty of rusty
old relics amongst beautiful Nelson bush.WILD FILE
Access Brook Street,
Nelson
Grade 2-3
Time 4-5hr
Distance 33km
Total ascent 2680m
Map BQ26BrookStreettoThirdHouse
OnBrookStreet,theDunMountain
WalkwaystartsoppositeNumber
° DGMDFHQWWR D ODUJH LQWHUSUH-
tivesignthatconveysthehistoryof
thetrail.Thetrackclimbsgradu-
allybelowa largeforestryblock
wherea myriadof shortbiketrails
hasbeenbuiltin CodgersMTB
Park.ThemaintrailjoinsTantragee
RoadandcrossesGlennCreek
andBullockSpur.
Thetrackthencurlsaroundthe
forestrycontoursandintothere-
generatingnativebushofCummins
Creek.BelowCumminsSpurand
alongthebaseofFringeHill,the
trackremainsshadedbutis airy
andlight.
CumminsSpureventuallyleads
toWairoaSaddleandThirdHouse
at660m,wherea two-storeystable
oncehousedthehorsesused
ontherailwayandaspartofthe
miningoperation.Theclearing
aroundThirdHouseShelterproves
a sunnyspottorefuelandenjoy
thevistaandwildlife,but,alas,no
stableorrailwayrelicsremain.Distance10kmGrade 2Third House to Coppermine
Saddle
From Third House, it's back into
the bush with the track rolling over
some superb original embank-
ments with walls of cleverly-
stacked rock bridging gullies and
slips, keeping the railway line on an
even keel.
On the slopes below Wooded
Peak, the landscape transforms
from forest to stunted bush and
then to bands of mineral rock. The
track narrows somewhat and be-
comes a little steeper and rockier
to boot.
Beyond Codes Creek, the trail
enters the open Nelson mineral
belt where the surrounding valleys
and hills are devoid of anything
other than ground-hugging plants.
Remnants of the railway line ap-
pear here and there, embedded in
the coarse shingle and rocky track
surface, sleepers and short bits
of track corroding into dust. Wind
and water have accelerated this
process.
At the 878m Coppermine Saddle,
tailings are all that remain of the
mining activity.
Here, excellent views across the
Richmond Range and down the
Maitai Valley are revealed. This is
an ideal spot for lunch.
Distance 7km Grade 2+Coppermine Saddle
to Maitai Dam
Put your downhill hat on and enjoy
sweeping switchbacks as the trail
descends the western ridge of
Dun Mountain.
From the top of Windtrap Gully,
the descent becomes rougher
and rockier with a cascade of tight
VZLWFKEDFNVGRZQWRWKHFRQ¿X-
ence of Windtrap Gully Creek and
the Maitai River South Branch. As
the gradient levels, leaf-litter single-
track rolls endlessly below a high
canopy of beech and rimu before
eventually bottoming out on an old
forestry road near Beecham Creek.
At the lower Maitai River ford,
head along the pipeline single-track
to a point opposite the bottom of
the Maitai Dam.
Distance 10km GradeMaitai Dam to Brook Street
Climb onto the trail parallel to
Nelson’s water pipeline. It winds its
way down a benched track sand-
wiched between the large concrete
pipe and a steep slope on the true
left of the Maitai River. Where the
pipeline ends, the trail continues
around the ridge and through a
stand of regenerating bush to even-
tually join the Maitai Valley Road.
Just after the Maitai Reserve
Camp, a forestry road climbs to
Tantragee Saddle to close the loop.
Or you could cruise into Nelson
East and back up Brook Street,
stopping for ice-cream at one of
the corner dairies.
Distance 10km Grade